Hope With Hidden Reason
by ThatSuperGeek
Summary: AU SasuNaru. The last thing Sasuke wants is a baby, he lost hope in family a long time ago. However when he is faced with another victim to his brothers murderous ways, will he give family a second chance and embrace the prospect of fatherhood?
1. Uchiha's and early mornings don't mix

**Yeah I know, this isn't a story I have on my page as an upcoming one (again xD) but I had a dream last week and I had to make it into a story. Enjoy this, I enjoy writing this one. If it feels a little rushed its because Sasuke is being rushed in this first chapter. I plan for this to slow down and be quite long as a fic and a lot funnier than it begins. It will get a lot more romantic and funny, and exciting as the deeper plot somes into play! For now though, take it away Sasuke...**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, if I did I would be rich off my ass and sat at my grand piano, not at my computer drinking extra value pop.**

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The streets were busy that morning, people were rushing round, weaving in and out of each other on the streets like bees. There was a certain noise it seemed to bring, the sound of morning hustle and bustle, a loud buzzing mumbling noise, voices, unimportant conversations, arguments, car horns and the rumbling of engines. The streets were like this every morning, rush hour brought a whir of human kinetics, brains programmed into getting up, going out and working. Then at night the city slowly emptied out and the people changed, they became hopeless, dark and lost. Giving way to crime, drinking and a multitude of other unforgiving habits. It was a strange place.

Living outside of the city centre and never going out in the mornings, one man found it all rather loud and annoying. Frowning at his opinion amusedly when he considered his circumstances, he could only cope with one loud and annoying presence in his life, a whole place full of it was too much. When he'd woken up on this day to a phone ringing in his ear and was told to get out of bed and leave his apartment, he wasn't happy. He'd spent the whole night awake again, trying to think of new story plots and after failing to gain inspiration he'd managed to get two hours of sleep, if that. Waking up to hear his annoying stalker's voice down the phone and having to walk through crowds of people he didn't wish to acknowledge had put him in an even worse mood that he'd gone to bed in. He thought it was probably the reason his partner had not said goodbye this morning, he knew himself that he had a murderous presence about him when he was pissed and tired, though it bothered him slightly that he'd woken up alone. The only thing that gave him any happiness lately was his-

"Sasuke!"

He turned around tiredly and blinked a few times before he recognised the pink blur as Sakura Haruno, walking towards him, looking for more accustomed to the morning rush than he.

"Hi." He said meekly as he was pulled into a hug.

"Wow, another late night?" She asked, looking at his puffy eyes and dishevelled manner with concern. Sasuke was known for his strong-looking, passive neat qualities, it was easy to tell from his creased, thrown-together outfit and messy hair that he wasn't his usual self.

"Yeah…" He answered, staring at the grey pavement boredly. "I'm still stuck for ideas y'know…" He shrugged, feeling his back ache at the movement - he had to stop falling asleep at his desk…

"Aww, sorry to hear that," Sakura replied, patting his shoulder apologetically "You never know, inspiration comes and goes, you'll think of something soon. Maybe being here in the city will help boost ideas, why are you out here anyway? Its unlike you."

"I know." He sighed "Karin rang me this morning…"

"Wow, no wonder you don't look happy."

Sasuke smirked before continuing. "Yeah, she was going on about some '_really important'_ thing I'd better get down there for, saying it was an emergency. That was after she'd stopped flirting with me, so at first I thought it couldn't have been too serious…though she sounded like she was telling the truth so I decided to go."

"Woah, wonder what that's all about?" Sakura pondered aloud.

"Beats me." Sasuke answered, then changed the subject to avoid thinking about Karin any more, he already had a headache. "How's Lee?"

"As enthusiastic as always." Sakura smiled, rolling her eyes. "He had to go into work early this morning, that's why I'm not with him. How's N-"

Sasuke jumped as his phone vibrated in his pocket, startling Sakura, who laughed as he tiredly fished around for it.

"Sorry Sakura, one sec…hello?"

"Hey handsome! When are you getting your delightful ass down here hm?"

"Karin…" He sighed and Sakura gave him a sympathetic look.

"That's right! Aww say my name again, it sounds so much nicer in your beautiful voice!"

"What do you want now?"

"I want a lot of things Sasuke…"

"Get to the point."

He heard a heavy sight and some grumbling before her tone became serious. "How far away are you, it's really important that you get here as quickly as possible."

Sasuke, was not in the mood for this… "I'll be there soon, don't ring me again or ill change my number…again…" He hung up and glared at nothing in particular out of anger, wondering just how many times he'd had to change his number to avoid Karin's phone calls.

"Never gives up does she." Sakura commented, more of a statement than a question. "Well I'll let you get going, you have places to go."

"Yeah." He agreed in an indignant tone, embracing the girl again.

"Well, I'm off, see you soon!" She smiled before beginning to leave, turning again with an afterthought "Hey, you could always write about a guy with the world's most annoying stalker!"

"Heh, yeah." He managed a smile meekly as she called goodbye and walked away again. He knew that idea was never likely to happen, people would probably read it (hey, it was Soujo Beat heaven) but _he_ wouldn't write it…

Sasuke Uchiha was a popular manga artist, his books had been top sellers ever since he started drawing and making story plots at the age of eight, started publishing at eighteen and now at the age of twenty-five he was extremely successful. After his latest series had came to its end three months ago he'd been trying to begin another, though he wasn't having much luck. The series he'd recently finished had been so popular he'd put all his thought and energy into it, wanting to make sure it was the best he'd ever written, and he was finding it hard to better his best…

At first he'd tried straying into other genres, but he only ever got to the basic plot outline and character sketch stage before he deemed the ideas not worth the effort. Sure they were good ideas but they just weren't 'Uchiha worthy', he wanted something amazing that would blow people away, even more so that his last series of books. Unfortunately inspiration just wasn't being friendly with him at the moment and he was having a hard time thinking of anything, the past three months he'd practically become nocturnal because he spent this whole night at his desk desperately trying to gain ideas. People told him to stop being hard on himself, especially seeing as it hadn't been that long since his last story, but he was Sasuke, so naturally he was having none of it. He couldn't have a break, he wouldn't go easy on himself, he was always pushing his ability to its maximum, the fact it just wasn't going well at the moment was making him feel more and more pathetic, even if it was only three months.

The raven haired man kicked a stray cola can, watching as it scattered across the ground, before he strolled into a large publishing company building, making straight for the coffee machine at the end of the corridor. He wasn't normally one for coffee, but he'd tried drinking it to keep himself awake longer and started craving the caffeine ever since. His guilty pleasure was Starbucks…he was normally a heath freak and wouldn't put a lot of sugar, caffeine and fat into his body. Since he'd tried a Starbuck's latte one morning however after a long painful night of no ideas, he was hooked. Uchihas nonetheless, were known for their amazing self control and so he limited himself and tried to avoid the place at all costs.

_I'd kill for a fucking cappuccino now though… _He thought bitterly as he sipped the bitter mediocre substance that had dribbled from the coffee machine, walking to the lift and pressing the button for the twenty third floor. Once alone and inside he began taking deep breaths, calming himself before the lift reached its destination, preparing for the mother of all annoying creatures. He was rarely known to lose it, but Karin had this amazing ability to crack his stoic shell, grab his last nerve and tie it in knots. All the while commenting on his 'amazing ass' or 'sexy lips'… He braced himself as the lift doors opened, rolling his eyes at his own twisted imagination as Beethoven's 5th symphony began to play in his head.

As he'd predicted, the bored red head's eyes snapped to him the second the doors opened…fuck, it was like she'd smelt him coming or something! He briefly imagined a leopard jumping onto its prey. His eye twitched involuntarily.

"Sasuke-kuuuuun!" She sang, springing up off her chair and leaning over the reception desk. "How nice to see you! Did you come alone?! Did you have a fight with your boyfriend?!"

"No Karin I did not-"

"Poor you! He wasn't good enough anyway, I'd be so much better for you Sasuke-Kun! You look frustrated…still going through a dry spell?"

His hand began shaking and he counted to ten mentally. "He's still my boyfriend." He said through gritted teeth. Ignoring the 'dry spell' comment, she had at first insisted that she was talking about the fact he wasn't inking manga at the moment, though he knew that it was really innuendo, as was most things she said to him…

"Ahh damn what a shame…OH! New idea! Ever thought about a threesome!? Seriously I don't mind, if you ever wanted to try, we could have an orgy!"

Counting wasn't working any more, he put his coffee onto the desk to avoid spilling it, folding his arms to stop them shaking. "One day I'm going to strangle you." He muttered, not bothering to keep his thoughts to himself.

"Oooooh Sasuke I didn't know you were into that! I bet it's a dominance thing huh? Well you can dominate me any time honey! I've heard strangling can really heighten the feeling of an orgas-"

"Karin!" Sasuke snapped, his patience cracking. "Why did you drag me out here so early in the damn morning!"

A glazed look appeared in the woman's eyes as she leant her head in her hands. "Sasuke-Kun, you're so sexy when you get angry."

"Karin." He growled, giving her a look that plainly said 'tell me or die'. He saw a small flash of fear in her eyes as she sat back down in her desk chair.

"Okay okay, well I got a call this morning from some guy, said he was from an adoption agency, his name was Mr Akimichi. He wants to speak to you about a baby."

Sasuke blinked at Karin, hoping if he closed his eyes long enough and opened them , he might wake up nice and rested in his bed at home. When he opened them and found the perverted woman still sat there he flinched, the image of himself sleeping soundly, bursting like a balloon. Falling backwards into a chair and rubbing his temples, he grumbled.

"What the fuck are you on about…" He really hoped this wasn't some cruel twisted plan to trick him into adopting a baby with her or something because this I Karin and it wouldn't surprise him.

"Don't worry," Karin reassured sarcastically as if reading Sasuke's mind. "This is serious…and you'd better resolve it soon, I've had this brat crying all morning."

"Resolve what? What are you on about!?"

"You remember Haku and Zabuza?"

Sasuke hushed, lifted his head and looked at her curiously, nodding. Haku and Zabuza had been friends of Naruto's and he'd gotten to know them quite well himself. They had died unfortunately a couple of weeks ago after having their first baby. Sasuke tensed as he remembered the news of their death. They had been cops, and after travelling to the scene of a well organised crime they had been killed, it turned out it had been a set-up all along. The Akatsuki were behind it - the worlds more dangerous and hard-to-catch crime organisation. After infiltrating the police centre they had sent the news of the 'hostage situation' to Haku and Zabuza's car, of course there was no hostage and they had been killed the moment they appeared on the location. Haku hadn't even meant to be working again, but had been at the station when they had got the call and she insisted she had to help. The reason it made Sasuke so tense was the fact his own brother was a member of Akatsuki. The new parents death had been caused by his brothers hands.

"What about them?" Sasuke whispered, trying to sound unaffected, Karin thankfully understood this was a touchy subject for him and straightened up in her chair.

"They had a baby, before they died, and after their deaths apparently there was some deliberation as to who the child should go to. Their own parents had already passed away, Haku was an only child and Zabuza's brother is still a missing person. They have very little relatives and the ones they do have are not suitable for parenthood…it's been decided you are the only one suitable to look after the kid now." She explained.

Sasuke, with his head still locked in his hands, was trying to digest this new information. He was having a hard time with it too…it had to be a dream, or a joke, he half expected someone to jump out from behind a door and shout 'You've Been Punked!' Though…remembering the news on the day of his friends death…

If it was a joke then it was a pretty sick one.

"Karin…" He began, not quite sure what to make of it all, but she interrupted him.

"Don't freak out okay, I get it, you probably don't even believe me, but seriously if you want proof come here."

He looked up as he heard the woman's seat creak and found she was stood, she grabbed something and began walking towards the opening in the curved desk. After a second Sasuke noticed she had wheeled out a pram from around the side. How had he not noticed that before? Well…he was tired, angry and high on coffee, that was why.

"Is that…?"

"Yeah, it's their kid, the adoption company was having some sort of problem this morning and asked me to look after it for an hour while they sorted stuff out. Their due back soon to discuss things with you, I don't really know much else about anything." Karin explained, rocking the pram gently, it was one of those where the carriage was laid back, with four large wheels and a frilly cover, Sasuke couldn't see the baby from where he was. "You gonna stare all day or you gonna come look?"

He rose from the chair, slowly making his way over, feeling awkward and confused. He glanced at Karin momentarily as he came to a standstill beside her and then cast his eyes down to the pram. His expression couldn't help but soften at what he saw.

Inside the pram was no doubt the child of Haku and Zabuza, it was small and delicate looking, with a lot of soft black shiny hair. It was nestled in white blankets and as Sasuke's shadow covered the infant it opened its eyelids to reveal large chocolate coloured eyes. It peered at him innocently and began to stir.

"Ah jeez, I hope she doesn't start crying again…" Karin grumbled.

"It's a 'she'?" Sasuke asked, still staring at the child, slightly entranced by how small and helpless it looked.

"Yeah, though nobody is sure if she's got a name yet. Apparently she was born when the parents were away somewhere and they stayed there for a month to recover before they came home, Haku had been so ill after the birth they hadn't named her yet because they wanted to wait for her to recover and decide on it together. When they got back they were still trying to choose a name…but they died before they got the chance to pick one."

Sasuke's hands clenched on the reception desk in anger. His brother had done this…his brother had killed this baby girls parents and left her defenceless before she'd even been named. Every time he looked at this child, it was going to remind him of that. It made him feel sick.

"Sasuke, you wanna sit down? You don't look so good." Karin asked, moving to touch him but he flinched, stepping away from her and the pram, tearing his eyes away from the child.

"I can't…I can't do this." He whispered, staring blankly at the floor. He wasn't ready for this, not right now.

The phone rang loudly and Karin tore her attention away from the distressed looking Uchiha to answer.

"Oh, Mr Akimichi…yes he's here…okay, yes I have the room free for the meeting…okay..goodbye." She hung up and turned to Sasuke, who was sat back in the chair with his head hung. "Mr Akimichis here, he's going to talk with you in the meeting room there." She told him, motioning towards a door to his right. Sasuke didn't bother looking, things were moving all too quickly for him, this all still felt like a long realistic twisted game. He sat there silently for another minute before the lift 'dinged' open and out walked a large friendly looking man with auburn hair.

"Nice to see you Mr Uchiha." The man said kindly, shaking the raven's hand before letting Karin open the doors to the meeting room. Sasuke stayed stony through it all, feeling he was being dragged into something far out of his depth, his inner panic rose more when they turned to him, waiting for him to follow into the room, Karin holding the pram of an infant he was being pushed into fathering.

"I'm sorry." He said awkwardly. "I can't adopt, I'm not the right person for the job, I'm not ready."

He partly believed this, though it was an excuse to cover the guilt slowly rising in his stomach. He knew the baby girl was alone now and needed parents but was he really the only choice? He was not really the nurturing type, he spent nights awake and was at his work desk most of the day, he was finding his job hard as it was without a baby in his life. He just wasn't ready to be a father. A small sad feeling arose in his chest and he pushed it away stubbornly, looking up from the carpeted floor where he was now stood when Mr Akimichi spoke to him.

"I understand this seems a little sudden, but I promise you, when we go into this room we are just going to discuss the situation, reach an understanding about things, I won't push you into any decision, you have my word."

Sasuke opened his mouth to argue again but realised the man was being fair with him, he couldn't really refuse to even talk with the guy, so he slowly made his way forward into the room, hearing Karin wheeling in the pram behind him. They came to a stop at a small rectangular table and he took a seat adjacent to Mr Akimichi, trying to ignore the pram as it came to a halt beside him. Karin nodded to them both before she left and Sasuke began to feel slightly hot as he was now about to dive into something he wasn't ready for.

"My name is Choza Akamichi, I'm from Konoha adoption agency and I'm here to talk to you about the infant next to you there." Mr Akimichi began, Sasuke listened silently, not feeling like engaging into conversation. "Karin may already have explained some things to you but I will give you a little more information, if you'd like?"

Sasuke nodded, he didn't really have much of a choice, the man was being slow with things as he'd promised and he didn't feel like he was being forced to agree, but it was his own pride was stopping him from refusing to hear any more and leaving the room.

"Around four weeks ago this child was born in Mongolia, Haku and Zabuza Momochi had travelled there to visit Haku's late mother, who was sadly in a bad condition of health at the time. Whilst there, Haku contracted a virus and was severely ill, she was hospitalised for three weeks before being allowed home again. Their child, who is lying beside you now in that pram, was due to be named and introduced to their friends and small family but before they had the chance, they passed away. You must already know about the incident."

"Yes I know." Sasuke said, a little too harshly, he didn't want to discuss the matter of their death.

"I understand, I won't go into detail, you don't need it. After their passing, Haku's mother passed away also, this meant their baby could not go to her, she was too ill anyway to look after a child. We took the baby with the intention of finding relatives of the parents to look after her from now on. We soon realised how little family they had, Zabuza's one brother, who is still missing did not have any children, and as you already know Haku was alone." The man sighed, looking up from the table to Sasuke's blank face before continuing with a small smile. "This led us to examine any friends the couple had, there were there work friends, though they had only known them for a few years and most were single, worked long hours or had already large families and commitments. Then we found your name, you work mostly from home, are in a serious well paid successful job and a long term stable relationship. We decided you were the most suitable to look after a chi-"

"I am not suitable." Sasuke cut in firmly, eyes flickering to the small noises coming from the pram before they shot sharply back to the wooden table.

"It's fine to be nervous." Choza nodded understandingly.

"I'm not nervous." Sasuke insisted, straying away from the real reason, standing to leave. "Find somebody else."

"Sasuke, please listen, for five more minutes, that's all." Choza asked, Sasuke paused, fiddling with a coat button as he bit his lip. Five minutes, he supposed, would not hurt him. He was cruel natured at times but he couldn't just walk out on this man, besides that small niggling feeling inside of him had a weak tie on his willpower and he wasn't sure he really could have walked out with it still there. He sat back down tensely and nodded for the large man to continue.

"Sasuke, I know your situation, I know this is the last thing you probably want and need at this moment, I was originally going to speak to your partner, but I changed my mind because I know this would be more of a decision and effect on you. If I had asked your partner he probably would have agreed and put a strain on your relationship. You would be the hardest to convince, which is why I come to you first."

Sasuke had guessed as much, if he were honest, Haku and Zabuza had been his partners friends more than his, he had only known since the start of his relationship a year ago.

"As well as this, the baby is similar to you." Choza added after a slight pause, smiling as Sasuke looked up from the table with a frown. "Forgive me Sasuke, for bringing up memories I'm sure you aren't fond of, but the baby is a victim to the cruelties of humanity, just as you were. Born, loved for a short time, then its parents were taken away for no justifiable reason. It is now alone, confused and has no family."

Sasuke bit his lip again and looked across to the opposite wall, concentrating on a painting of a large field full of sunflowers.

"You are somebody who knows how the child feels, who knows what will happen if she is allowed to grown up without somebody understanding. You are the one who can help her feel she is not alone." He paused, Sasuke did not look away from the bright painting, the hot feeling in his stomach rising.

"Also, she is somebody who can help you."

The raven closed his eyes on the flowery scene, basking his sight in the darkness on the underside of his eyelids.

"I know I have no idea of your feelings and life, I come from a large and loving family. So I'll spare you the attempt at empathy and talk about the things I do understand. I know a family are a support system, sharing your memories, experiences, good and bad. They are there for you, they love you , trust you and they are connected to us through blood for all our lives. This is how I see my family. Recently I know you found somebody who you can share these feelings with, but you are yet to be given the love of a family, no matter how hard your lover tries."

"Family is nothing." Sasuke spat bitterly, eyes still in their dark embrace, he was strong but he had a weak past, and each time it became a subject, each time his solitude was threatened he retreated into his darkness. He liked the dark, despite his horrid memories. Darkness was quiet, it did not seek understanding or attention from him, it merely surrounded him and kept him held there without reason. However Choza's words were passing through into his dark surroundings and knocking into him with each syllable, the same way his lovers had, he was vulnerable and he knew he had to get out of this room soon, he counted the seconds quietly in his head.

"For you, family became something you cannot trust in, without trust there is no bond, no bond and there cannot be love. Your bond was severed some time ago, this infant is the key to a new one, one which you control with somebody you love. You have started a bond yourself, this child could solidify it for life, if that is what you've wanted. Everybody deserves a chance for a family Sasuke, only you are stopping yourself from taking that chance." Choza explained, his words having the effect of a hurricane on Sasuke's dark haven, he was clinging to his stable willpower tightly but this harmless man was blowing him father and father away from it. He began to feel hotter, clenching his fists as he fought with the real reasons now being touched upon, he tried to keep his barriers in place inside him, tried to fix the burning leak seeping through him. Memories were barley ghosting through his mind, his imagination showing him flashes of things he didn't want to see.

_**Flash**. "Fine!" His lover shouts, grabbing a coat and leaving their house. Sasuke is left alone again._

**Flash**. Years later he is on his knees at the door as a teenage girl with long dark hair and chocolate eyes grabs her bag and brushed past him. He begs her not to leave, she slams the door in his face.

**Flash.** He is sat round a table, his partner and daughter with him, laughing happily, he feels out of the picture, a door opens, a gun is shot and he is left with the dead bodies of his only family, again.

He stood, his barriers could _not_ be broken, he was not giving _anybody_ a chance, it was dangerous. He stood and marched towards the door, ignoring the small crying noises coming from the pram behind him and blocking out Mr Akimichi's requests for him to stay. His hand was on the cool metal handle of the door before one word reached his ears and smashed into his stoic defences.

_Itachi._

He froze at the door, paralysed by the name that had been spoken in a question.

"It's Itachi isn't it?" Choza had whispered and at Sasuke's involuntary pause he realised he was right. Quickly he elaborated, knowing he didn't have much time, Sasuke needed to hear what he had to say. "You are not your brother, Sasuke - "

"I am the brother of a killer!" Sasuke shouted, his hand trembling as it clutched the handle. "How can I suitable for a family!? My brother destroyed one and he can do it again!"

"Sasuke!" Choza said sharply, standing as the door opened. "You're right."

The Uchiha paused again, eyes widening as he heard those words, not expecting them. Why would somebody who was trying to give him a family, agree to that?

"You're right." Choza said again. "He does have the power to destroy your family again. The fact he has done it once is more than enough proof." He walked to the pram and turned it round. "Come here Sasuke, _please_, this is my final attempt, please give me the chance to try."

The door was open, he was there, staring out into a cool, empty reception, freedom was staring him in the eye. Next the door was closing and he was turning, almost hypnotically he was making his way towards the pram, feeling lost and small. Soon he was right next to is beside Mr Akimichi, though he did not look inside, he stared at the frilly covering silently.

"Thank you Sasuke." Choza whispered, breathing a sigh of relief, he could see Sasuke was breaking, he was glad he was being given one last chance, he did not want to hurt the man anymore. "I'm only one man, and here I am faced with the task of getting through to another that I do not understand. It's not easy, but perhaps because I do not know you, I am at an advantage because I can speak my honest truthful thoughts without fear of damaging a relationship between us. What I see when I look at this child is you."

The statement was said so suddenly is startled Sasuke and in his small moment of surprise he looked up and saw the baby in the pram. He hated what he saw, he hated the fact Choza was right, the minute he locked eyes with the child he saw himself. He saw vulnerability, confusion, upset and loneliness.

"I see an innocent human being that has been captured by the inescapable loneliness before they even know it has happened. I can see your partner in her eyes too, alone before she understands she is. Sasuke, when I saw you walking to that door, I caught sight of this girls future. I saw her becoming bitter, quiet, ignoring other children because they aren't like her, isolating herself because nobody understands her peril. I saw her going to sleep confused and waking up after nightmares, living her life wondering why it is the way it is, not sure what she can do, feeling helpless and weak. Does that person sound familiar?"

Sasuke was mesmerised, staring at the tiny hand that was being stretched out at him, without knowing it his own hand rose, and small pink fingers grabbed onto one of his. He could see her future too, it was the same as his had been.

"What is probably the most ironic similarity…your brother, will have caused_ her_ future the same way he caused yours. This is why I brought her to _you_ Sasuke, you know exactly what your brother has done to her because you know it yourself. You are looking at yourself Sasuke, you saved yourself by finding someone alike to you. Please tell me, you will give her someone alike, please say you will save her too, because-" Choza paused, wondering if his next few words would have been too much, though they _would_ be his last, he had to try with everything he had. "Sasuke, I said you weren't your brother, but if you walk out of this room now, you are doing the same thing to this child that he did to you. If you leave now, you become your brother."

The statement was said so bluntly and softly it had an immense effect on Sasuke. His barriers smashed completely and such heat overtook him he wondered if the room was on fire. He felt somebody steady him, not even knowing he had stumbled. He was drowning, falling thickly under the burning water, struggling to breathe, losing sight of its surface.

His finger slipping out of the child's was what broke him from his hypnotic trance. He gasped as cool air struck his forehead and he realised his skin was clammy, his breathing coming in sharp pants. He stopped the behaviour immediately, wiping his face with his sleeves, he rose shakily, embarrassedly muttered a few words to Mr Akimichi and turned to leave the room.

He had made his decision the minute Karin had shown him the baby, he just hadn't known it.

"Sasuke?" Karin muttered, looking up from a magazine as he billowed out of the room, as she was ignored she repeated his name, noticing the lack of pram she asked if he'd decided against adoption. She received "Shut up, Karin." As the answer and sighed, she would never get through to him.

Sasuke was not in the mood for talking to anybody other than the person he was now searching for. He strode up the carpeted corridor, looking into open doors where cleaners were cleaning bedrooms and tidying meeting rooms. Each time he was disappointed, until he heard Karin's voice calling from the end of the corridor.

"He's in the bathrooms!"

He switched course, turning left sharply and travelling down a more shaded corridor, ignoring the small fluttering feeling in his chest. The person he was looking for often told him he'd been looking for him his whole life, to which Sasuke would roll his eyes. He wondered if it were true somewhere deep inside. He'd saw the man once by chance when he came to the building publish his first book and at first ignored him. It happened each time he came to the building, he'd pass the man, feel something odd when their eyes met and ignore him. He decided the man was someone threatening to his defensive shield and began glaring at him when he passed. In return he received a few glares until he received a confrontation. The man had cornered him and angrily asked what Sasuke had against him. It was then Sasuke realised the burning in his stomach he got when he saw him was not hatred but attraction and in a moment of giddiness decided upon a new goal. Love was never something Sasuke had wanted or looked for but annoying and chasing after the blonde idiot had been simply too much fun. Twisting the man's orientation had been even more fun and before he knew it he'd captured his prize, whether he wanted it or not, because after that the annoying presence hadn't left him alone for a second.

Striding into the men's bathroom he glanced round, at first thinking it was empty and reminding himself to kill Karin, until a mop of blonde hair curiously poked out from one of the stalls. Naruto grinned widely and opened his mouth to speak but Sasuke walked over and put his finger to the man's lips before he had the chance. Naruto frowned questioningly but kept quiet as Sasuke took the mop from his hands and dragged him to the centre of the bathroom. Sasuke caught sight of himself in the large mirrors covering the walls and bit his lip at his nervous looking reflection. To match the look, the fluttering in his chest grew and he masked it by frowning very seriously at the clueless looking man in front of him. He cleared his throat, fearing if he spoke straight away his sentence would come out as a small squeak. That wouldn't do, he needed this to be a firm statement, plus, Sasuke Uchiha did _not_ 'squeak'.

"Naruto." He began, pausing when the blonde hummed a 'what?', shaking his head as he heard his lovers voice and all traces of nervousness melted away. The blonde had that effect on him. He spoke again, more steadily this time, though he could not help the small smile that snuck onto his pale face as he revealed his decision.

"Naruto, we're having a baby."

* * *

**Naruto: LOLWHAT?! **

**No really, how will Naruto react? Find out by reading the next chapter. Seriously, it will get a lot funnier than this and more romantic and more citrussy and gaspworthy and dramatic...you get the picture. Please please review, otherwise I cannot improve my writing, and if you want to ask a question pm me :) Please review if you favourite and check my page for news and other stories both upcoming and complete, take part in my poll too and I wll love you all forever :D**


	2. There's a baby in that pram!

**As promised here is the next chapter, which I stayed up until 3:30am writing so y'all better love it! D I'd like to say think you to everybody who reviewed the last chapter, subscribed and favourited, it really helped me a lot and made me want to post this as soon as I could haha. Also a reviever pointed out that in the last chapter where I'd meant to write 'further and further' I'd put 'father and father'. Thank you tot he person who pointed that out so I could mention it :)**

**As always I do not own Naruto, only my own twisted imagination.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Out of all the reactions Sasuke had been expecting this was not one of them. He had been hoping for a smile maybe at least, a flash of the idiotic grin he'd grown to love (or 'become accustomed to' as he put it.) If not a smile then he could accept confusion or questioning, he half expected Naruto to punch him in the face and tell him to 'stop being an asshole and making shit up' but this...

...was definitely not the reaction he'd been hoping for.

"PHAHAHAHAHAHA....oh god Sasuke you make me laugh! Since when did you get a sense of humour!? 'Were having a baby' hahahahaha!"

Sasuke watched as Naruto leant on the sinks and howled with laughter. "Whoa, you had me worried for a second there too! Your face, you looked so serious! Hahaha," He wiped the corner of his eye with a chuckle and then stretched his arms behind his head. "Ah, that's made my day, are you gonna burst in here and crack jokes when I'm at work every day?"

"Naru-"

"I mean geez, that was so unexpected, one minute you're all '_leave me alone bitch!_' The next you wanna stick your tongue down my throat and now you're saying stuff like that! Maybe you _are_ pregnant!"

"Na-"

"I mean maths and biology aren't my strong points but last time I checked, dick plus ass doesn't equal baby!" He wiped his eyes again and sighed, grinning widely at Sasuke, who was busy trying to work out how long it would take to drown himself in the toilet basin. "Sasuke?" He said, but the ravens face remained blank. "Sasukeeeee!"

"You know..." Sasuke began monotonously, "Sometimes, I hate you."

"Aww, I think that's the nicest thing you've said to me in about a week! I love you too, even if you do PMS like a bitch."

"NARUTO!"

The blonde flinched and flicked his gaze back to Sasuke to see he was glaring at him very seriously, Sasuke in fact had realised drowning himself meant the baby would be left with Naruto and therefore doomed for all eternity, so he decided to try and knock sense into the idiot. This he did by walking over and smacking his lover in the side of the head as hard as he could.

"OW! FUCK, WHAT WAS THAT FOR!?" The blonde yelled angrily, sound vibrating off the tiled walls, raising his hands to try and cradle his head but Sasuke grabbed his wrists and yanked him and his continuing protesting out of the bathroom and into the deserted corridor. Maybe if he tried telling him a second time the reaction would be more to his tastes...he just had to say it very slowly and be firm... He rolled his eyes as he realised having a baby would be just like looking after two Naruto's.

"Listen to me!" He spoke, pushing a glaring Naruto up against the beige walls. "We. Are. Having. A. Baby." He spoke slowly, looking at the frown as it formed on his partners face.

_Confusion, there we go, result._

"Sasuke...seriously this joke is weird now..." He mumbled, confused by Sasuke's seriousness, he was known to wind him up occasionally but he never went this far.

"It's not a joke Naruto!" He hissed "Haku and Zabuza had a kid and we have to take it in!"

"Sasuke!" Naruto gasped, wondering what on earth had gotten into the man. "What are you...that's...what the-"

Before he could continue his babbling further Sasuke moved his head forward and crushed his lips to Naruto's, hearing a small squeak escape the blonde's mouth. He wasn't even sure why he did it; it had just felt right at that moment. He could still feel his heart pounding from the discussion with Mr Akimichi, his head was dizzy and he was still in the aftershock of his own frenzied decision and he didn't know how to express this to Naruto or in fact express it at all but violently making out with his lover against a wall was certainly helping. All he could think about was how him and Naruto would soon be parents, he smiled into the heated kiss, all he could care about at this moment was the embrace coming from his lover, the child lying in a pram a short way away and the immense swelling of emotion in his chest. He was going to be a father, ten minutes ago the thought of that made him recoil into a dark and cold demeanour, now it was bringing forth emotions he wasn't sure how to react to. He felt proud, excited, nervous, overjoyed? He didn't even know but he was glad he had Naruto to be the one that was going to go through this with him, even if he refused to admit it aloud.

He broke the kiss and rested his forehead against the panting blonde's, smiling downwards oddly as he looked at their entangled bodies. There was a small queasy sensation that wouldn't leave his stomach, he didn't not know how to deal with the feelings he was currently going through and it was making him feel strange.

"Sasuke?" Naruto said quietly. "A-are you okay?"

The raven shrugged honestly, a smile flickering on his clammy face. "Naruto...come with me." He whispered, pulling back and taking the confused man's hand.

"I'm working." Naruto said and Sasuke rolled his eyes, smirking.

"Trust me, it can wait." And with that he began dragging the blonde quickly down the corridor, each step thundering up his legs and into his chest, he had not felt like this in a long time.

"Found him?" Karin mused as they emerged into the bright reception area. "I'm guessing you said yes then? Mr Akimichi is still in there waiting for you."

Naruto whined loudly and smacked his palm into his forehead. "Does EVERYBODY know what is going on here but me!?"

"Haven't you even told him?" Karin asked, raising her eyebrows and leaning back in her chair.

"I told him we were having a baby."

"And you haven't explained it or anything?"

"That's not my job." He sniffed.

"Ah Sasuke, so mysterious, you know I love that about you..."

"Hey!" Naruto cut in, practically growling at Karin. Nobody made advances on his man! Sasuke simply cast a sarcastic look over the familiar occurrence and pulled Naruto into the meeting room where Choza Akimichi was sat rocking their future child in her pram gently. At their entrance he looked up warmly and stood to greet Naruto, who now looked even more confused than before.

"Naruto, my name is Mr Akimichi, nice to meet you." He shook the blonde's hand.

"Um, hi?" Naruto replied, looking to Sasuke questioningly, who still wore the strange serious contented expression.

"I take it Sasuke has told you the news?"

Naruto looked up at the large man, cogs slowly creaking in his head. What had started off as a strange joke was now getting more and more serious. He noticed the pram behind them and narrowed his eyes as more and more pieces of the puzzle fit themselves together in his head. Sasuke has said they were having a baby...they were talking to a man formally...Haku and Zabuza had been mentioned...there was a pram...

"Oh my god!" He cried suddenly, clapping a hand to his mouth as he finally realised what was going on. "Adoption!?" He turned to Sasuke frantically, seeing the smirk on his lovers face and choking as he wondered how on earth to reach to the sudden realisation.

"Took you long enough, moron." Sasuke sighed.

"S-Sasuke! Can we at least talk about this?! You can't just spring this on me! I mean...what...w-w-who just...huh?" He flailed, grabbing fistfuls of his hair in exasperation.

"Could you give us a minute?" Sasuke asked Mr Akimichi, ignoring his lovers continuous stuttering, the man nodded and left the room, Sasuke prepared for the onslaught...

"BASTARD!" Naruto shouted as soon as they were alone, smacking Sasuke in the shoulder. "WHAT!"

_**Smack.**_

"THE!"

_**Smack.**_

"HELL!"

_**Smack**_

"Naruto stop it!"

"IS!"

_**Smack**_

"GOING!"

_**Smack.**_

"NARUTO!"

_**Smack.**_

"ON?!"

Both men stopped their fighting as a sudden wailing started up, snapping their heads to the pram with horrified expressions.

"T-t-t-t-there's a baby in the pram!" Naruto hissed, stumbling backwards with his finger pointed accusingly at the source of the noise. Sasuke turned to him with a ludicrous expression and the most sarcastic voice anybody could imagine, rubbing his abused shoulder furiously.

"NO SHIT?! Thanks for clearing that one up! You sir, are a GENIUS! A Nobel prize winner!"

Naruto glared at him, walking over and squaring up to the taller Uchiha. "Well EXCUUUUSE ME if this is all a bit sudden! How would you feel if you just get adoption sprung onto you!?"

"I HAVE!" Sasuke roared in reply, dodging more violent jabs to his torso.

Outside Choza Akimichi was staring worriedly at the door as the noise of the fight flowed freely into the reception area. He looked to Karin for some reassurance, who was reading a magazine as if she didn't have a care in the world. After a moment she sighed and put it down, staring longingly at the door.

"He sounds so sexy, all riled up like that..." She muttered to herself, suddenly noticing Choza's gaze and rising her eyebrows. "Don't worry, they do this sort of thing all the time, it's gonna end as sudden as it began."

As if on cue, both men froze mid fight as another loud squawk signalled the baby's presence for a second time. They looked to each other noticing the tight hold they had on each other's shirts and releasing their grasp, grumbling apologies incoherently. Their attention then focused on the pram, where the crying was still going strong and Sasuke bit his lip guiltily, pondering an approach to this new situation. As he did so, Naruto sailed past him heading straight for the pram and a feeling of panic ran through his pale frame. It wasn't that he didn't trust Naruto, but he was soon to realise that Choza's little speech had made him subconsciously overprotective of the baby stirring a few meters away from them. He held his breath as Naruto reached the pram and leaned over to look inside, wonder etched onto his face. The blonde raised a hand to touch the child's but Sasuke was over in a flash, stood on the other side with such a look of worry it would rival any paranoid mother within a one hundred mile radius.

"What's that look for?" Naruto questioned, oblivious to his partners strong attachment to the infant, muttering an insult when Sasuke struggled to answer, then looking into the pram in unison with the man. An equal feeling of empathy mingling between them as the baby stared upwards with watering eyes. "Wow..." Naruto whispered softly. "It looks just like Haku."

"_She,_ looks just like Haku." Sasuke corrected, face cast downwards in a saddened smile.

"It's a girl?" He looked up to see his partner nodding and staring into the pram longingly. He still wasn't sure exactly what was going on but there was no mistaking this was Haku and Zabuza's child. He raised a hand and brought it to his lovers face, tucking his raven bangs behind his ears, not receiving any attention despite the sudden caring touch. There was also no mistaking Sasuke's determination to look after the baby girl; it was evident in the strong gaze he had cast upon the tiny human being. He hadn't seen Sasuke look at anything or anyone with that much admiration in a long time, especially since the finish of his last manga series. Since then, the house they shared had been taken over by a pressing, impatient loss of hope. Sasuke had lost all sense of day and night and wandered about the house exhaustedly whenever he grew bored of the same work room, in which he now spent most of his hours. Naruto was forever finding the man asleep on sofas, at the kitchen table, in the bath, or curled up under mountains of covers in their bed refusing to move. He tried to help Sasuke as much as he could, he was known for having positive effects on people, bringing them hope, happiness, striking them with realisations in his own little individual way, but Sasuke was a tougher nut to crack. When the raven was undergoing problems he retreated into his own personal bubble, one which would only stretch to barely accommodate Naruto, who would try anything he could to get through to him. When Sasuke had first gotten artists block he had shrugged it off, Naruto had too, as time had gone on and Sasuke became more and more frustrated Naruto had tried to help him, but was always pushed away. He had helped Sasuke in many ways but when it came to his work nobody was allowed to interfere, to allow somebody to help him showed weakness in the raven's stubborn mind. Naruto tried everything, first being gentle and supportive, next, being loud, brash and kicking Sasuke out of bed. He was good at hiding his own frustration and he was persistent, and Sasuke was too, which had led to a stony stalemate between the two men.

"You're really serious about this aren't you?" Naruto spoke quietly, seeing Sasuke nod again as he rocked the pram gently to hush the child's cries. "Talk to me then?" He pressed, impatient with the lack of understanding about the situation. Sasuke looked up at him hopefully, the first time in months Naruto had seen hope in his obsidian eyes.

"You're saying you'll do it?" He whispered.

"I'm saying ill listen." Naruto nodded and Sasuke sighed, pulling two chairs out from the business table for them to sit on.

A few minutes later and Naruto was listening to the steady flow of words coming from Sasuke's mouth, gaining a greater understanding with each. Naruto noted how Sasuke's expression would darken or flash with determination as he explained to Naruto the situation with Haku and Zabuza and how the baby had no family, how they were the best people to take the child on. After a few moments the explanation reached a point where Sasuke was unsure of how to go on, so he stopped abruptly and looked up from the frilly pram to his partner to gauge a reaction. He wasn't ready to explain his feeling brought up by Mr Akimichi, he just had to make Naruto understand, which, when it came to things like this, was something Naruto did better than anybody else.

"Sasuke." Naruto said, looking sadly at the floor. "This is really sudden..."

"Naruto just look at her," Sasuke asked, pleased when Naruto obeyed him and cast his uncertain gaze over the baby. "She's just like you."

"Yeah, but, this is a big deal. I mean...a baby? Are we ready for that yet?" The blonde choked, fear spiralling up within both of them.

"Imagine what kind of person you'd be if Iruka hadn't agreed to take care of you...or if Jiraiya hadn't come back to look after you too."

Naruto looked from the baby, to the floor, and then to Sasuke with a meek smile set on his face.

"_That_ would suck." He muttered finally.

Sasuke tried to hide his triumphant smile by rising from his chair and walking to embrace the blonde, knowing with that statement he'd won. He knew all along Naruto would agree, his rambling had just been nerves, unlike him he wouldn't have thought for a second of leaving the room without agreeing to adoption, but hearing a hint of the agreement out loud seemed to dull any queasy feeling Sasuke had been undergoing. He still had to hear it properly though, before it would stop altogether.

"Naruto, be serious, are you agreeing?" He whispered into coarse blonde hair, feeling Naruto squeeze him tightly before he replied.

"Yes, yeah we'll adopt her, you can stop panicking now." He rolled his eyes, the notion going unseen but not unknown.

"I'm not panicking!" Sasuke snapped quickly, feeling suddenly giddy as he ghosted his lips across the skin of Naruto's neck to his warm mouth, where they were quickly enveloped. He tangled his hands into his lovers blonde hair and kissed him deeply, running his tongue along the inside of Naruto's lips, feeling the man run his hands along his lower back and pulling them impossibly closer. A shudder ran through him as he smiled into the kiss feeling Naruto do the same, a small muffled laugh escaping the blonde's mouth and entering Sasuke's as he held the man passionately. A small breath choked its way out as a gasp as Naruto pushed Sasuke against the table, wheedling his way between the man's legs, letting his hands roam further along the skin underneath the T-shirt and coat he was wearing, slipping the latter from the raven's warm body. Sasuke responded to the advances, arching his hips forwards to push against Naruto's, who moaned into his mouth and ground down on them in return, pushing Sasuke backwards forcibly, so he was half lay on the table top. By this point Sasuke's thermoregulatory system was having a mental breakdown, Naruto's hands felt like fire running across his own heated skin, the room was becoming much too humid and his lovers breath and tongue was hot on his neck burning his skin and driving him wild with a sudden desire filled urge-

"Oh...my...**god**...I think I've died and gone to heaven..."

At the sound of the voice the two men scrambled apart quickly, Naruto tripping over the chair behind him and landing with a thud on the floor whilst Sasuke looked round with mild confusion, mind still clouded with arousal. He spotted Karin by the door and glared; angry she'd spoiled their moment, though partially glad she'd stopped them going any further in the middle of a public office. Still though, it was embarrassing to be caught in something like that, as proven by Naruto who dragged himself back to his feet with a face the colour of the crimson walls of the room.

Karin's face split into a wide grin as she took in the scene, one hot flustered ravished looking Uchiha sat on the table with his coat tossed to the floor and his T-shirt half up his torso and one red-faced panting Uzumaki staring round the room guiltily. "Jeez, don't stop! I was enjoying that!" She whined as they straightened their clothes and hair embarrassedly.

"How long were you stood there?!" Naruto hissed, avoiding the woman's gaze.

"Long enough Uzumaki, long enough, who'd have known you had that animalistic side to you eh?"

"K-Karin, what do you want?" Sasuke said, coughing into his fist to hide his heavy breathing and partial shame, as he finally realised they'd just been caught frotting on a table, in a meeting room, next to a baby.

"I'm sorry but seeing you all flustered like that has made me too horny to remember."

"Karin!" The mean snapped in unison and she sighed, muttering what sounded like 'you guys are no fun' before telling them Mr Akimichi wanted to know if they were finished 'discussing' things.

"Yeah we're done." Sasuke said, ignoring the suggestive look Karin shot him as she left the room to fetch Choza, an awkward silence forming in her wake.

"Oops…" Naruto muttered and the two glanced at each other before they burst out laughing.

"That's one way of putting it!" Sasuke chuckled as Naruto tried to muffle his laughter with his hands, he couldn't remember the last time Sasuke had laughed so naturally and freely. This was certainly a day for rare occurrences and the Uchiha was not being true to his name, but in fact, as the raven let the laugher flow freely from his mouth, he decided he may just not give a shit.

"Aww look, even she finds it funny." Naruto said and Sasuke turned round quickly, a warm feeling spreading throughout his chest as he noticed the wide gummy smile on the baby girls face. "It's nice to hear you laughing like that." He added and Sasuke smiled, holding out a finger to the infant, who grabbed into it tightly, Naruto did the same so they were both in the feeble death grip the baby looked fairly amused by. Their attention only diverted from the heart warming sight when they heard the door to the room opening, they turned, hands still being held but he child, with genuine smiles on both their faces.

Choza took in the sight, feeling glad these two had been Haku and Zabuza's friends as a thought resounded in his head.

_They look like a family already._  
---

Sasuke was agitated. He'd always been known to be rational, patient, calculating, but after suffering the most stirring and dramatic morning he felt he'd ever had in his life, his normal stature was slipping considerably.

Mr Akimichi had been sat with the two of them for the past ten minutes, talking them through the adoption process and Sasuke was beginning to feel worried. After the sudden and unforgettable talk this morning he'd left the room wanting nothing more than to take the child home, fit her into his and Naruto's life and protect her with all he had. Now he was under the impression they would not be leaving with her today, though he didn't want to speak up in case he felt stupid, he was not well up on the adoption process. He had been taken in by a friend of his family, Kakashi, when he was seven years old, so technically he himself was adopted, just as Naruto was when Iruka had taken him in as a newborn. He had never spoke to Kakashi about the adoption process however and it was a time he had tried his best to forget all his life, therefore he could not remember it well.

Thankfully Naruto was always blissfully unaware of his own stupidity and therefore had no problem asking the question Sasuke was dying to.

"So…we don't get to take her home tonight?" He narrowed his eyes in a frown.

"No." Choza replied and Sasuke's heart sank, his stomach did a back flip and a deep angry heat set into his veins. "The adoption process is long and can take-"

"We have to take her home." Sasuke interrupted firmly, balling his fists on the table in hot determination, Naruto nodded furiously to emphasise. Choza watched them sadly, he could see their desperation to be with the child, the impatience in their eyes, he partly regretted getting Sasuke as enthusiastic as he had.

"Well, seeing as we have already decided you are the most suitable family, the process will be a lot shorter for you than for most couples. All in all from the initial decision to the free life with the child, the process can take up to two years."

"What!?" Naruto exclaimed, leaning forwards dramatically, Sasuke's arms flinched as he felt his fingernails digging into his palms painfully but he remained stony.

"For you two this process will be shorter. You do not have to appear before a court as we have already decided you are suitors, however, there is a period of time that can take up to eight months, where we have to examine your family, medical and financial history. Adoption is for life, this process is to determine whether you are the right people." He explained.

"But you already said we were!" The blonde whined.

"Yes, you two on the outside appear suitable but what if we looked into you medical history and found one of you had cancer and only five weeks left to live, or was susceptible to a dangerous disease or had a history of violent mental disorders in the family? What if one of you were abusive or suffered from fits or was in a financial crisis?"

"You have already examined my family history, you know we are not of any danger to the child." Sasuke said, trying not to show the disappointment in his voice and failing. Naruto naturally noticed it and went to lay his hand on Sasuke's, but the raven jerked away from the touch.

"Yes, _I_ know that but you two are no different from anybody else aside from the fact this decision was brought to you rather than it being of your own choice, therefore you must undergo the same Home Study Assessment every other couple has to go through." Choza argued, sighing at Naruto's saddened face. "I'm sorry, I know the initial excitement disappears quickly once you hear about all this but it has to be done."

"It's not excitement!" Naruto retorted. "This is our friend's baby, we have to look after her! We need her with us!"

"I can see that, but the law is the law." Choza said firmly, bowing his head in apology.

"What if…" Sasuke began and he groaned inwardly, these two were never going to give up on this. "Well, you already said we don't need to go to court didn't you?"

"That is correct."

"What _exactly_ does need to take place before the baby can come home with us?"

"We need to make detailed reports on the family history and present circumstance of everybody in the household, a full medical examination of both partners must take place with our medical advisor, your financial situation will also be looked into and your home."

"Woah…" Naruto groaned, thinking to himself that maybe it would be easier to work out how to get a man pregnant rather than adopt.

Sasuke flexed his fingers thoughtfully, flinching when some tension was released, calculating the information in his head carefully. His voice was dry when he next spoke.

"Why does it take such a long time for those few things to be done?"

"Well Sasuke, there is a lot of time involved finding family documents, exploring family history posting reports and sending letters, filling forms and having meetings, it's not a straightforward thing." Choza explained, surprised when Sasuke looked up with a smirk.

"What if we made it straightforward?"

"Made it-?"

"You're here with us right now, we can write the family history reports now, we can take you to our house, make reports on our finances, we can get confirmation from our doctors we have no life threatening or contagious diseases and book examinations for tomorrow, I'll even ring a private doctor and pay for everything if I have to." Sasuke explained hurriedly, it made sense in his head, why did things make so much sense and then the law had to go and muddle everything up, why was such a simple process so complicated? All he wanted was to take that baby home and love it, why did the government insist on preventing him from doing that for the next eight months?

Choza looked at their hopeful faces and felt a sinking feeling, he did not want to disappoint the men, but he had to tell them the truth. "It's not that simple Sasuke."

"Make it that simple then!" Sasuke yelled, standing and banging his fists on the table, causing all members of the room to flinch, including the baby, who had been asleep un until this point but now awoke with a trademark infant cry.

"Sasuke, your display of aggressiveness I can tell you, is not doing wonders for your reports I have to make." Choza warned, he understood the raven's reason for anger more than anybody, he had caused it with his persuasive speech, but he still had to do his job. Sasuke understood this too and bit his lip, swearing under his breath and turning to hush the crying baby. Naruto watched with slight wonder, he'd never expected Sasuke to be this riled up over adoption. They had never even discussed the matter of adopting before, in fact Haku and Zabuza had been his friends before they were Sasuke's and yet here his partner was trying everything he could to make sure they took that child home with them tonight. He watched as Sasuke cursed again when rocking the pram did not stop the baby's cries and he reached down moving the frilly coverings aside and encircling the infant with his hands to pick it up out of the pram. He brought the child to his chest, where she buried her red face into Sasuke's T-shirt and stopped crying as he patted her on the back gently. Naruto blinked at the scene, seeing the way Sasuke was clutching her as if she were precious to him and a new sense of determination overtook him, finally realising what was so important.

Sasuke had lost his family and this was his one chance to create another, something up until now he had been afraid to do. The one time Naruto had jokingly brought up adoption a few months ago, Sasuke had shrugged off the conversation and left the room, something Sasuke did when he was fleeing from unwanted feelings. Naruto could see he was ready to give family a chance now and by having this baby he was getting back what Itachi had stole from him a long time ago. It made Naruto determined to help Sasuke get what he wanted, no, what he _needed_.He turned to Choza, persistence set on his face.

"We know you have to do your job and we may be asking a lot of you…" He began firmly, "But we all know this is different from your usual adoption, you know about our pasts, so you must know how much we want to protect her. I admit I'm not the most…stable person in the world, neither is Sasuke, but we are going to care for that baby more than any other two people on the planet possibly could. I can make the kid laugh, take it to the park, cry like an idiot when she leaves for her first day of school…but I don't know how to change a nappy, I'd probably give her food poisoning if I made her anything but ramen and I wouldn't know how to stop her crying if my life depended on it. Sasuke though…I can tell, he could set up a high chair make her dinner and change her nappy all at the same time, he picks her up and she stops crying, he's gonna help her with homework because my grades were awful and his were great and he'd kick any guys ass who came within a ten metre radius of her. You can look at them now and see it's the truth."

Choza looked to Sasuke, who has his lips and nose pressed to the infants fluffy head, staring at Naruto's chair with a small loving smile. Everything Naruto was saying was true, he suspected Sasuke had never picked up a baby in his life, yet he was here nestling an infant who had ceased its crying as soon as his hands had touched her. Anybody else would be hesitant about picking up such a small new baby, especially if it wasn't theirs, but Sasuke had just picked her up as if he'd done it every day of his life and sat with her perfectly.

"I'm gonna have to learn to be a good dad yaknow… but Sasuke's already there and he's going to be amazing and…we just really really want a kid now we know what we've been missing out on. I wanna know what family feels like, and he just wants to give it a second chance. We've been waiting for that all our lives so…please help us, do anything you can, we don't wanna wait any more." Naruto finished his speech and turned to meet Sasuke's eyes, his lover smiled at him and nodded his head lightly in a silent thanks, mouthing the words 'I love you' as he continued to inhale the infants powdery smell. Naruto felt triumphant as he received Sasuke's loving approval, turning to Choza, hoping with all his might there was something, _anything, _Choza could do for them.

Choza was now faced with a difficult decision. By law he had to do his job properly, do things by the book and by the rules but he was also a very kind man, who wanted nothing more than to let them walk out of here with the baby and let them live their lives. He couldn't even begin to imagine how they must feel, considering their empty and blood-filled pasts, he could tell they were good people and they wanted this child more than anything. He loved nothing more than to see people happy, see families complete and see parents walking along the street laughing with their children. If he cut corners now then his job was at stake, but if he didn't then he was deeply upsetting two people and keeping them apart from the child they so desperately wanted. He had to decide what was more important to him, his job or this family?

He couldn't believe he actually had to think for the answer to that question.

"Here's what we do." Choza smiled, Sasuke and Naruto's heads snapped upwards in shock. Choza had remained silent for so long they thought he was thinking of ways to let them down and were getting ready to face disappointment. Now, looking at the man's warm smile, they knew there was hope.

* * *

The kitchen clock ticked away the seconds Sasuke was spending waiting for the kettle to boil. This was the second round of hot drinks he was making everybody, during the first they had been excited, energetic and looking forward to the night ahead, now at - he glanced at the clock on the wall - 11pm he was everybody was feeling tired, especially him, who had grown out of the habit of a set sleep pattern and was known to crash into tiredness at any set time.

He tossed an extra spoonful of instant coffee granules into his mug as his eyes blurred tiredly and yawned as the kettle finished its violent bubbling, pouring the water into the mugs like a robot programmed to do its task. He was in fact attempting to think of anything other than: _coffeecoffeecoffeecoffeecoffee…_

Mr Akimichi, Naruto and Sasuke had left the meeting room with the baby and after ringing round their friends to get hold of a baby car seat for the unnamed girl (finally acquiring one from Shikamaru and Temari) they had driven Naruto's car firstly to the adoption centre. Naruto had waited in the car while Choza took Sasuke inside and they gathered every possible form and file they could from the many offices of the building. Choza was head of the centre so nobody asked any questions when they took the stuff, made a few phone calls and left to get back to the car, where Naruto breathed a sigh of relief. The baby had been crying for the past ten minutes and would not stop. Naturally Sasuke sat next to the seat and took her hands and she hushed instantly, he smirked at Naruto, who pouted back, his arms folded jealously wondering why Sasuke had to be so perfect at everything.

Next they drove to a roomy house in the suburbs, where Naruto and Sasuke lived together. After tea had been offered and the baby was sound asleep in her car seat they had got down to business. They had filled in form after form after form, gathering reports on everything Choza had asked for, finding documents they never knew they had, fishing out birth certificates and forms about the house to make sure they weren't immigrants and the walls weren't about to crumble down around them and their soon-to-be child. They had phoned their bank, their doctors, Sasuke true to his word had phoned up a private doctor the moment they had got in, so the medical reports could be done. They were attempting to cut down an eight month process into a few hours, it wasn't easy but their fiery determination kept them going.

After the baby had woken up at five pm Naruto was sent out (with a carefully Sasuke-constructed list) to buy bottles, milk powder, nappies and other such things along with food for the three of them to eat. Choza and Sasuke stayed home and carried on their laborious tasks, grateful when Naruto returned with a feast (Choza was doing so much for them, they couldn't just serve him instant ramen) and baby supplies - even the baby-natural Sasuke Uchiha couldn't stop the infant crying when she hadn't eaten in hours.

After the large meal, the bottle feeding and a soiled nappy (which Naruto refused to change) they got back to work and had not stopped until now when Sasuke had let the pen fall from his aching hand and tiredly offered to make tea for everybody.

He carried the mugs on a tray in one hand and a bottle in the other, laying the adult drinks on the table they were all knelt round and picking up the baby from the orange beanbag Naruto had bought for her to sleep in, putting the bottle to her mouth and collapsing onto the sofa.

"Y'know you look like you do this sort of thing every day." Naruto noted to Sasuke as he sipped his tea.

"Well, I am going to be doing aren't I." Sasuke sighed, looking down at the suckling child and smoothing the soft black hair on her head before he turned to Choza and smiled. "Thank you again for this, we really don't know how we're going to repay you."

"Well," The large man sighed, taking his tea and savouring the warming liquid. "I'd say an all you can eat barbecue at Yakiniku's would do it."

"A kid for an all you can eat barbecue…DEAL!" Naruto grinned, shaking the man's hand as they laughed together. "Seriously though, we're really really happy you're doing this for us, you're a great guy, I bet your family is proud of you."

"Well that's their job after all, you two should be proud of yourselves, willing to go through all this straight away, it takes many other families a few weeks to decide if adoption is the right thing to do." He replied.

"Well we're not the most indecisive people in the world." Sasuke mused aloud, checking how much milk the baby had drank before putting the bottle back to her mouth. "How far have we got?" He then asked, frowning at the many files laid across the table.

"Finance, housing, family history and basic medical history are done." Choza answered "We just need to wait for all the blood tests to get back and I just need to finish up these forms and we have to scan all your documents. Do you have a photocopier, or a scanner and printer?"

"Both." Sasuke told him, sitting the baby up to wind her. "Go on Naruto."

The blonde slurped the rest of his tea noisily before he and Choza gathered up documents and travelled across the room to Sasuke's office. They opened the door to reveal the only room that truly held Sasuke's personality (Naruto rarely came in here under Sasuke's orders so had no influence over the appearance of it). The walls were a grey-blue colour, the carpet was thick and black, shelves lined a while wall of the room and held an assortment of neatly organised manga volumes, books, models, figurines and art supplies (all labelled and categorised of course). There was a neat desk set in front of the window (Naruto smiled at the framed photograph of him and Sasuke sat proudly upon it) and a photocopier on the far side, the walls were lined with neat promotional posters for Sasuke's past manga series' along with a note board, where the only bit of chaos in the whole room was based. On it were notes, photographs, storyboards, sketches, pinned to the cork in a complex web.

"Why do you always insist you don't have OCD, its soooo obvious!" Naruto called, hearing a 'hmpf' in reply from the living room and laughing to himself as he fired up the photocopier, careful not to give in to his urges and touch anything else, Sasuke would go crazy if he moved anything round…too much anyway. He walked over to a shelf whilst the photocopier loudly blinded the documents upon it and grinned mischievously at a row of anime figurines. Choza watched intrigued as Naruto swapped the places of the end two and returned to the whirring machine they had been stood by. "Just watch when he comes in, you'll see what I mean." He winked, hiding a smirk as Sasuke walked into the room, bouncing the baby in his arms gently. It took him all but three seconds to notice the change and he frowned at the shelf, walking over and swapping the figures back to the exact place and angle they had been.

"Don't do that again." He glared at the blonde who was laughing childishly.

"You don't scare me!" He snorted, to which Sasuke raised his eyebrows.

"Don't I?..." He adopted a sinister whispered voice as he continued "One night as the wind howled through the dark abandoned castle-"

"S-s-s-stop it! Y-you'll s-scare the b-baby!" Naruto stuttered, trying to distract Choza from his own embarrassment and sending a fuming pointed glance at his partner who was attempting to show him up.

"The only baby here is you, moron." He chuckled before leaving the room again, Naruto had always been afraid of scary stories and phenomenon and if he was going to mess up Sasuke's neat and tidy totally non OCD influenced room then he could tell the man scary stories as punishment.

The blonde emerged from the room a few seconds later too, faint blush across his cheeks as he glared at Sasuke, who was laying the baby down to change her again.

* * *

It was 2am when Choza finally announced everything was done and Sasuke let his head fall into his hands with a triumphant smile. Naruto was sprawled out on the couch, snoring loudly and the baby was sleeping soundly in her car seat. The large man yawned before he gathered everything up and placed it by the door, Sasuke phoning for a taxi to take Choza home. They sat quietly and waited round the table, the raven contently rocking the car seat and Mr Akimichi watching with a mixture or happiness and worry.

"Sasuke…I have to tell you, all the forms are done and all but for tonight-"

"It's okay." Sasuke interrupted quietly, smiling sadly at the sleeping infant. "I get it, she can't stay overnight yet."

Choza sighed, joining his hands. "Yes, I'm afraid so, for tonight she has to return to the orphanage but tomorrow evening I will ring the adoption office and make sure the forms reached them, as soon as I have confirmation everything has been accepted then she can stay the night. Hopefully tomorrow evening she will be able to stay."

"Let's hope so." Sasuke nodded understandingly, he had a feeling, no matter how good all this may have been, the baby could not stay tonight. Strangely he felt okay about it though, he looked over to Naruto haphazardly lying on the cough and smiled, he already had a baby to look after anyway.

"In the mean time," Choza spoke, interrupting Sasuke's thoughts, "You have a lot to learn, you seem to be a natural but tomorrow a midwife will be visiting who will talk you through looking after a baby, give you advice, show you anything you do not know how to do, give you some reading material and helpful information, answer any questions and tell you what sort of things you need to buy, that's sort of thing."

He nodded again "Thank you." He whispered gratefully, jumping when a 'beep' from outside signalled the arrival of the taxi. Choza gathered his things and they two men made their way to the vehicle, Sasuke strapping the car seat in next to Mr Akimichi, handing him some money to pay for the ride(which he took as reluctantly as Sasuke had the seated infant carrier), and bidding him farewell.

Silently the Uchiha made his way back into the house and stared down at his blonde partner, expecting to feel sad and empty, oddly enough he did not, he wore a smile on his face as he bent down and wrapped his arms around the warm man lying on the couch. Naruto did not stir when Sasuke picked him up and began carrying him up the stairs to their bedroom, and remained asleep when he removed all his clothing aside from a pair of frog-covered boxers. Only when Sasuke crawled under the sheets and turned out the light did the blonde let his eyelids flutter open, he mumbled something unrecognisable and wrapped his arms around Sasuke's bare torso.

"Whus..th…bab…y…" He breathed gently as Sasuke ran his hand through his sun coloured hair.

"She couldn't stay tonight, don't worry, she'll be here tomorrow." Sasuke reassured, still wearing the smile on his face, he hadn't been able to erase it all night. Naruto hummed and curled into him even more.

"Kay…"

There was a few minutes were Sasuke silently thought the night through and their lives through, wondering how much money he was going to end up spending tomorrow on baby supplies…well, it was okay, it wasn't like he was short on it. He had more than Naruto anyway, who had worked as a cleaner at the publishing building as long as he'd known him.

In the dark room, Sasuke's eyes snapped open and he frowned…the father of his child, a cleaner? Now that just wouldn't do.

"Naruto," He whispered, poking his lover in the stomach, smirking when Naruto mumbled a 'what, asshole?' back at him.

"You're quitting your job tomorrow."

"Hm?..huh…wh…yeah whatever…" He snored, Sasuke's smirk grew wider as he counted the seconds it would take for Naruto to realise what he'd just said.

_Thee idiotic blondes…_

_Two idiotic blondes…_

_One idiotic blonde…_

"…**WHAT!?**"

* * *

**Well what did you think? I struggled to make this as good as my last chapter, I actually rewrote a lot of it which is why it took longer than I'd expected, its also a lot longer than the last but I hope you enjoyed. Please as always, review, please please please I'll give you a free hug D: Seriously though, if you have any thoughts or suggestions, let me hear them too!**

**The baby's name will be revealed in due time! ;D In the next chapter, Sakura takes the boys on a shopping trip! Also, something strange begins...**


	3. Life begins and ends with family

**Finally chapter three is done! I started it and kept messing it up and re-writing parts and gosh I'm always worrying that my chapters aren't good enough or as good as the last ones. I hope you like it, I really do, people seem to even though I put my own writing down but I think everybody does that to a degree right?**

**Anyway enough enough. Right to answer questions/comments from previous reviews: 1. I'm sorry I keep making typos, I generally finish these when I'm really tired in the early hours of the morning so I'm a little dazed T.T I often type 'did' when I mean 'didn't', shouldn't' instead of 'should' and so on. If the sentence contradicts itself its probably because I've done that. So at the beginning of the last chapter when I typed 'Didn't not know' I probably mean 'did not know', sorryyy, for all my typing errors. I hope I havent made as many as this, my brain is so used to reading the typos it sees them as the right word now! 2. If I caused some confusion over this I'm sorry. Naruto did know about Haku and Zabuza having a baby but he is so upset over it he doesn't like to talk about which is why he was stuttering in the last chapter. Sasuke said 'Haku and Zabuza had a baby and we need to take care of it!' becuase he was stressed out and just blurting things. I didn't mean for it to sound like Naruto had no idea, sorry. Finally 3. Yep it does take that long to adopt! In real life theres no way this adoption could happen so fast but hey its fanfiction! Real adoption can take several years.**

**Right I do not own Naruto and Nakushita Kotoba (Sasuke's ringtone) and several other things in here blah blah blah xD**

**I hope you enjoyd this, I feel as if I rushed but this is twice as long as my other chaps so I guess I spent more time on it really!**

**Please enjoy, please review!**

**Kat/thatsupergeek :)**

* * *

It was eight am and golden sun shone in through the undrawn curtains, missing closed obsidian eyes but landing heavily upon the eyelids of Prussian blue ones. The owner of the bright eyes groaned and attempted to tug the covers over his head, however they were being tightly held hostage by his sleeping partner. After several more attempts he sighed and sat up, rubbing sleep from his tired eyes and glaring at the Uchiha breathing heavily next to him. Curiously, he poked the pile of covers, topped with a mount of black hair and received no response. He grinned and poked harder, still nothing happened. With a small and slightly evil laugh he rubbed his hands together and then began to slowly push Sasuke towards the edge of the bed. There was a hitch in the man's breathing but nothing more and Naruto paused in his actions, this was probably the first time in a while Sasuke had got several hours of deep sleep, should he really be doing this? He narrowed his eyes as he remembered back to the week before.

"_Naruto get up."  
The blonde mumbled in his sleep, content in dreamland, where he was bouncing high above the treetops on the back of a giant frog...  
"Naruto."  
As he soared high he heard somebody calling him and turned to see a Hawk flying behind him. He grinned widely and told the Hawk to shove it...  
"I'm...the...bes...t...ninja....nn....the...village..."  
Sasuke stared down with raised eyebrows as his partner mumbled nonsense in his sleep and then smirked, walking towards the adjoining bathroom.  
In dreamland, Naruto cheered as the Hawk flew away "See! Nobody can defeat me!" He turned round again and gasped when he saw the frog was falling towards a large lake at the base of a waterfall. "Wait!" He shouted, looking round desperately, seeing there was no way they would avoid the water, they would plunge straight into-  
"ARGHHH!" Springing out of his slumber Naruto sat up in the now soaked bed and looked round frantically. It took him a few blurred seconds to realise he was freezing because he was covered in water and he was blinking the liquid out of his eyes as it dripped from his drenched hair. "C-cold! Cold! C-cold!!" He gasped as he scrambled form the bed and the water pooled on the floor underneath him. It was then a deep mocking laugh was brought to his attention and he looked up, still panting in shock, to see Sasuke stood at the foot of the bed with a bucket in his hands._

Back in the present, Naruto decided there was no debating his plans and firmly pushed Sasuke off the edge of the bed, where he rolled to the floor and landed with a muffled thud, saved by the many covers wrapped around him like a cocoon. Naruto, thoroughly expecting Sasuke to raise from the floor like the living dead and punch him in the face, was surprised when he just heard a sigh and the rustling of covers before the previous steady breathing set back into place.

"Fuck you."

Oh, there it was, Naruto grinned, satisfied he'd annoyed the Uchiha enough and sprawled out in the now spacious bed, making himself comfortable. The comfort lasted all of ten seconds before, somewhere in the room, the portable phone rang loudly.

"Oh for frogs sake...Sasuke, where's the phone?" Naruto grumbled, pulling open drawers and searching under the bed, the ringing drilling into his head shrilly. Sasuke merely smirked into the covers and wrapped them round his head, muffling out the loud sound and ignoring Naruto.

_Karma._ He thought happily, settling down to fall back to sleep.

"Sasuke! Don't ignore me, bastard!" Naruto barked, tumbling out of the bed and beginning a frenzied search along the shelves on the adjacent wall. "Sasuke!"

Sasuke sighed, Naruto was louder and more annoying that the phone, besides if it was Karin calling, Naruto would have to deal with it. He reached an arm out of the covers and began blindly scrambling round for it before his fingers brushed along the ringing device. He grabbed and threw it absent mindedly, at the same time Naruto turned to go and pull him from the covers. The phone soared through the air towards him, but he hadn't seen it coming and he wailed when it smacked him in the crotch, falling to the floor in a heap, the phone spinning by his head. With a whimper and several swear words he brought the phone to his ear and pressed the answer button.

"Hello?!" He squeaked in a voice several octaves higher than usual.

"NARUTO! WHY DIDNT YOU TELL ME YOU WERE ADOPTING!?"

The blonde moaned and dropped the phone to avoid Sakura's voice damaging his eardrums anymore. When the voice continued to blur out and even the nocturnal Sasuke sat up in his cocoon, he grudgingly picked it up again.

"Sakura, calm down." He begged desperately and heard a 'humph!' from the other end of the line. "How do you know we're adopting anyway?"

"Temari came over yesterday with Shogi-Kun and said you'd gone to her house and asked for their car seat! I asked her why and she said Sasuke told her you guys were going to adopt Haku's baby! Why was I not the first to know!?"

"Oh...heh, how is Shogi-Kun?"

"DON'T CHANGE THE SUBJECT!"

"I'm sorry I'm sorry!" Naruto apologised, rubbing his abused ears and finally coming out of the foetal position Sasuke had unintentionally forced him into, wincing slightly. "Look Sakura, I'm sorry, we only made the decision yesterday and we really needed a car seat, we were probably gonna tell you today anyway, y'know."

"I can't believe this; you guys are seriously going to be fathers! This is so exciting! How-oh, here's Lee."

Naruto stiffened and braced himself for Lee's explosion.

"NARUTO-KUN! CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR NEW ARRIVAL OF YOUTH!"

"T-thank you Lee..." The blonde squeaked

"Yes! We ourselves..." Naruto heard Sakura hiss at Lee to stop talking and there was a brief shuffling before her voice returned to the phone. "Lee has to go to work now." She told him and he heard Lee shouting a goodbye to him down the phone before the line quietened again.

"What was that about?" He queried and Sakura shrugged the matter off as unimportant, instead asking him to tell her more about their adoption. Naruto sighed, deciding Sasuke was better off explaining and handed the phone to him.

"Hello Sakura." He said tiredly down the phone and Naruto heard her giving him a 'congratulations'.

"Suuuure, I get a telling off and he gets a 'congratulations'..." He grumbled, flopping down on the bed.

* * *

.

.

_Somewhere on the very edge of the city, in a seemingly abandoned warehouse, a hand tapped absent mindedly on a gnarled desk. Black fingernails ghosting over the knots in the wood before a ring-wearing finger pushed down on a receiver button. The man chuckled to himself and pushed another button on the series of whirring machines surrounding him, waiting until a series of beeps finished and a voice signalled somebody answering the phone._

_"It's happened...it begins now, hmm."_

_There was a pause before a male voice answered: "Okay." And the line went dead, leaving the first in the eerie silence of the warehouse room again. The man took off his head set, stood and stretched, black cloak falling down around his mid-shins. He turned to the notice board on the cracked walls and grinned at it, striding forwards as his eyes slyly pinpointed a photograph on the left side of the board. A still imagine of Sasuke Uchiha stared back at him._

_"Better watch out, hmm..."_

.

.

* * *

"Achoo!" Sasuke blinked, startled by his abrupt sneeze and remained blank looking when Naruto turned to him.

"Someone's thinking about you!" He chirped before turning back to Sakura. Sasuke looked up at the blinding lights on the ceiling of the centre and mused silently, he was one of the world's most popular manga artists...half the planet could be inadvertently thinking about him right now. Sniffing impatiently he brought his attention back to the floor of the store and caught up to the three he was with. Sakura, after telling them off this morning had decided to come along and help them shop for the 'new arrival of youth', as Lee so artistically put it. They were also with the midwife Choza had promised, she had arrived that morning and given them what felt like a whole library of information about childcare. She had demonstrated bottle sterilising, nappy changing, dressing, transporting and several other necessary things Sasuke insisted he already knew how to do. As well as this she explained feeding time, bedtime routine, illness symptoms, and a multitude of things in the file she had given them. Sasuke had put the file into his work room instantly, as anything left to the hands of Naruto would be broken, eaten or lost.

"Eeeeeeeeh! Sasuke look!" He looked for the blonde source of the loud squeal and saw Naruto holding up a baby T-shirt, it was yellow with a green frog on the front. "Can we buy it?!" He asked eagerly and Sasuke frowned, walking over to inspect the garment.

"Naruto, she can't wear this for at least another five months." He told the excitable man, who pouted and put it in the trolley anyway despite the '6-12 month' age tag.

"Well its one for the future then!" He grinned and strolled off to find something else to annoy Sasuke with.

They had been in the store for fifteen minutes; they were here to buy things they had to have before they could have the baby, i.e. a cot, milk, nappies, clothes etc. So far they had travelled down one isle and the Sakura-Naruto shopping team had half filled the trolley with baby outfits. It was true they needed clothes, (and they had used this as their excuse at first) but it was now getting out of hand.

"Can we stick to the list now?" He sighed as he noticed Sakura's eyes widen at another frilly baby dress. Naruto snorted at him.

"Do you do _anything_ without a list?! I bet you even go to the crapper with one!" He squatted with a somewhat serious expression, one he adopted when mocking Sasuke, which was often and usually humiliatingly in public like this. "One, lower pants! Two, sit down! Three-"

Half the store thankfully didn't get to hear step three on the imaginary toilet-going list as Sasuke marched over and had him in a headlock before he got the chance to announce it. After the raven was satisfied with the choked apology Naruto gave, he released the man and ignored him whilst he spluttered dramatically in the centre of the isle.

"Naruto, go find baby wipes." Sasuke instructed, glancing over the list, he would pick something small, something he couldn't mess up.

"I'm on it!" The blonde punched the air dramatically before jogging up the aisle and out of sight.

"He's going to get lost you know." Sakura sighed with her arms folded, Sasuke hid a smirk.

"Yeah I know."

The pink haired girl tried to stop her own smirk forming on her face. "You're terrible, Sasuke." She rolled her eyes and wandered off to speak with the midwife. Sasuke had been sharp to notice her taking an interest in the midwife since she first arrived but had said nothing, she could just be being social, after all not everybody was like him. To distract himself from his thoughts before he got to curious he got back to the task at hand, deciding they should probably move away from the clothing aisle now and get onto the baby-food and furniture aisles instead. He let the others know and they lolled behind him while he successfully found the baby milk section.

Now he was a genius, no doubt about it, but as he looked upon the many brands of milk all claiming to do the same wondrous things for infants, he developed a small amount of admiration for women. He turned to ask the midwife for advice when he saw the two women standing with their arms folded looking smug. He frowned at them and turned back to the shelf, he could tell what they were thinking from here. They were smugly assuming men knew nothing at all about childcare and were amused by the fact that Sasuke Uchiha, despite the high intellectual level his brain was at, as still a member of the male community. Well he would show them...

He picked up one of the brands and decided it was satisfactory, it wasn't going to turn his child into a novice but it said it would help the immune system so it was good enough. There was a 'tsk' as he turned to put the tin of milk powder into the trolley however and Sakura took it from his hands before she stood in front of the selection and pondered.

"Not that one." She flapped her hands about and Sasuke narrowed his eyes at her, it was 1-0 to the women...

"What if I _wanted_ that one?" He asked and Sakura laughed in response.

"You had no clue what one to buy so you just picked that one up to save face." She paused before picking out a different brand to the one Sasuke had and handed it to him. "Here, that's one of the best."

The Uchiha grumbled to himself as he put the large tin in the trolley, picking up a couple more seeing as it would be all the baby would be consuming for a while, a thought struck him.

"How do _you_ know so much about this anyway?" He saw a flash of nerves in Sakura's green eyes before her smile was set back in place.

"I'm friends with Temari, Sasuke. We talk all the time; I've just picked up on things because of her telling me about Shogi-Kun."

"Right." Sasuke hummed, not thoroughly convinced, deciding he would buy baby food nearer the time the baby could eat it to avoid being degraded any more. He sailed down the aisle, heading for the back of the shop where the furniture and DIY section was before large doors exited to a garden centre. They spent about fifteen minutes roaming round noting potential buys before the question of Naruto's whereabouts were raised. Sasuke sighed, it had been so nice and quiet without him, this he said aloud and received a short laugh from his female acquaintances.

"You know, anybody who didn't know you two any better would not believe you were in a relationship."

Sasuke smiled, this was true in ways. He had always been quiet, a loner, easily irritable, stoic and even. Everything about Naruto was the opposite, the man was loud, social, more likely to irritate than be irritated and lived with a determined grin upon his face. Even their appearances set them apart, with Sasuke sporting stylish, dark coloured, simple attire and Naruto with a loud, individual busy style that should look ridiculous, but somehow he pulled it off. Sasuke smirked as he put cream blankets into the loaded trolley, never had he known a man look so appealing in Hello Kitty boxer shorts. Despite their differences they worked well together, it had been said opposites attract, many times. The raven however was not a fan of the whole 'you are my opposite and my destiny' vibe, he explained the opposites attracting by the fact that people, if they were to meet someone exactly alike to them, would not get alone with them. It's human nature to not like yourself, even if only something small about yourself, which is why many humans seek out companions to make themselves feel better. It made sense therefore why people would be attracted to somebody the polar opposite to them, there would be nothing to see yourself in and nothing to hate. There would be no boredom because it would always be a challenge trying to adapt and fit yourself into the life of somebody completely different.

Sasuke's challenge had been Naruto. He'd had past relationships, none of which he was interested in very much because they bored him. Any partners he had aimed to praise him, worship him, do their best to please him but where was the fun in that? If somebody was willing to give you everything you wanted then where was the chase or the challenge? He had no sense of control in those kinds of relationships because there was nothing to control, and he liked control, he liked to work for what he wanted. Even the first time he had looked at Naruto he knew, whoever this man would be in his life, an enemy, friend, lover or simply a man passing by him occasionally, he would be a challenge. Naruto didn't try to give him everything he wanted, he argued with him, fought with him, annoyed him and somehow forced laughter out of him. Even in their secret life between the sheets of their bed Naruto would attempt to dominate him, failing mostly unless Sasuke was feeling particularly happy or drunk. Sasuke loved the feeling of having control, loved to chase and fight with him, loved the shock in Naruto's eyes when he surprised-kissed him and somehow between the stupid annoying jokes and the countless visits to his friends houses and the late nights curled up on the sofa taking no notice of the television, he'd somehow grown to love Naruto too. It was something he'd never intended to happen but had always suspected would. Sasuke was not Sasuke without a Naruto chasing after him and Naruto was not Naruto without somebody to fight and relate with him. It was like two magnets, take one away and its purpose is gone, nothing to attract to.

Sasuke looked around absent mindedly, noticing Sakura was chatting with the midwife again and plopped a frog covered baby towel into the baby bath placed on top of the pile of items he was pushing round.

It wasn't like he'd given in to loving Naruto straight away or anything, he'd fought the feeling with all his might. In fact a few months into the relationship he'd packed up his things and disappeared. He left the area, changed his number and tried to forget he'd ever associated himself with the blonde nuisance. In the couple of months he had been alone he tried to convince himself of many things. One being that his sleeping trouble was not due to the fact he had nobody sprawled all over him like a heavy radiator, no, it was because it was a different bed than he was used to. Another being he loved not having friends of Naruto's waving to him on the street all the time and he loved not opening the cupboards to find nothing but ramen, which would fall from the shelves like an avalanche. He liked having the shower to himself and liked having an empty text message inbox. He could deal with having nobody to say goodnight to him and could make do with the lack of plants lining his windowsills. He wasn't sure about the cold empty feeling of the couch and didn't know what to make of the lack of anything entertaining about television anymore. He didn't like the way the wallpaper in the dining room of his new house was orange and he hated the way anything with a frog on reminded him of the man he'd left and he hated how he'd dream about him and hated how he'd subconsciously doodle swirls on everything and all his new manga characters had blonde hair and blue eyes and he hated the fact that he might just might, maybe, possibly, somehow might definitely miss Naruto.

The Uchiha subconsciously chose an orange and blue baby mobile for the nursery.

After he'd realised that he 'might just might, maybe, possibly, somehow definitely missed Naruto' he'd been torn between going home or trying even harder to forget him. He'd loved to have done the latter, unfortunately for him he'd never been lucky and Naruto's constant attempts to chase after him were making him hard to forget. After the blonde had found out where he now lived he firstly tried the ignoring game, however, it was hard to avoid someone who stood outside your front door for hours on end though and talked to you through the letterbox. It had taken a week, just a week, and Sasuke had somehow grown accustomed to the voice coming from the door and handing him his mail through the window. He didn't mind when Naruto began to follow him to work at the publishers in the morning and walked home with him afterwards or when he followed him to cafes and happened to decide he couldn't sit by himself. One day Sasuke hadn't slammed the door in his face when they returned to the house and Naruto had followed him inside. It happened the next day too and soon it became a routine like it had been before they'd left. It had taken another week of Naruto following him inside, spending the evening with him and going home for it to progress to Naruto spending the night. A few days of sleeping on the couch and Sasuke had 'fallen asleep' on the couch next to him, breathing a sigh of relief with the slumbering Naruto had curled into him and hugged him tightly. Up until then the two had been acting like friends but Sasuke had known it would only be a matter of time. He knew he'd lost the minute Naruto hugged him in his sleep because he never remembered feeling more relieved and at home in that moment than he ever had in his life. He'd fell asleep with the man, awoke feeling happier than he had in weeks and kissed Naruto so fiercely the minute blue irises poked out from underneath his eyelids that it took the blonde a minute to realise he was awake. After that, they moved back in together in the suburbs and things were the same as they always had been, except with a new sense of permanence because Sasuke knew Naruto was not going to let him get away again.

It amused him really, the whole reason he'd targeted Naruto in the first place was because he loved the feeling of controlling him and getting reactions from him so easily. In the end, when he found himself a changed man, deeply in love and enveloped in the blondes life, he wondered if he'd been the one being controlled all along.

"HEY! I got them!"

Snapping back to his senses he involuntarily smiled as he heard the voice but of course the smile was replaced with a frown when he turned around to face the panting blonde, sporting an armful of baby wipe packs. Had he been gone _all this time_ looking for wipes?

"What took you so long?" He asked, moving over so he could dump them in the trolley.

"Weeeeeeel, I had some trouble finding the aisle and then there were all these different ones and I got confused so I asked some woman pushing a pram and-ooh!" Sasuke jumped, not expecting the sudden squeak, thankful Naruto hadn't noticed as he was leaning over the pram excitedly, picking out the frog towel straight away. "This is awesome! You sooo picked that out just because I love frogs! See you do love me!"

"Hmm." Sasuke hummed in response, rolling his eyes and finding another thing on the list to keep the blonde busy. Upon finding nothing he trusted Naruto to buy he sighed and turned to him, catching his attention just before he would have set several display mobiles off. "Go pick a teddy bear or something for her from the toy section." Blue eyes lit up at the news of the new task and he turned to rush away, Sasuke caught him first. "Make sure it's not got loads of things she can pull off and choke on!" He called, pushing the trolley up so it was beside him. "And nothing weird! And nothing unsuitable for her age and make sure-"

"Sasuke! I can pick out a teddy, bastard, stop panicking!" Naruto pouted, taking a larger step to escape the Uchiha rant of doom. Sasuke raised his eyebrows and grabbed the blonde's arm, he tried to protest but was pulled into a brief yet forceful kiss.

"Now go." The Uchiha finished.

Naruto blinked at Sasuke's for a few minutes before the blank look was replaced with a grin and he saluted before running off again. Sasuke was content until Sakura came up behind him and pinched his cheek, cooing 'Aww'.

"Shut up, shut up..." He mumbled as they walked past the entrance to the garden centre, he wondered if he should buy some flowers for the nursery's windowsill...no, he'd let Naruto pick them, he liked gardening, he knew what he was doi-

Confusing Sakura, he stopped abruptly and backtracked a few steps, when she turned to see Sasuke reading the notice on the glass door of the garden centre she asked him why. He merely smiled, asked her to mind the trolley and wandered into the centre, emerging a few minutes later with no plants.

"What was that about?" She questioned as he returned and began pushing the trolley again.

"You'll find out soon enough." He said playfully before heading off down the cot aisle. Sakura raised a brow and looked at the sign he'd been reading.

HELP WANTED!  
APPLY WITHIN

She wondered why Sasuke of all people would apply to help out in a garden centre but shrugged it off, he'd promised she'd find out soon.

* * *

Several items and a Moses basket later and Naruto still hadn't returned. They had wandered up and down the shelves and visited the toy area and even tried ringing his mobile phone (however they had no signal in the superstore).

Running out of ideas and as an aftermath of the toy section visit, Sasuke's more childish side came out to play and he wandered to the help desk. Sakura and the midwife stood chatting by the trolley while he smirked, grin widening when a woman's voice calmly spoke out over the intercom system.

"Attention customers this is a lost child announcement. If Naruto Uzumaki is in store could he please come to the helpdesk to be collected. Thank you."

Sasuke listened sharply, before he heard a loud crash coming from somewhere in a nearby aisle.

"Found him." He said, thanking the woman on the desk and bypassing a laughing Sakura to stroll into the toiletry aisle, where he spotted his red faced partner stood in front of what _was_ a shelf of deodorant. The contents of the shelf were now scattered around him and clattering away loudly across the hard floors.

"Gosh I can't take you anywhere can I?" Sasuke smirked sarcastically at the sight, Naruto looked around and blushed as people stared at him before marching over to Sasuke and trying to smack him in the arm, the hit was dodged by an amused raven, thoroughly enjoying Naruto's embarrassment.

"LOST CHILD?!" The blonde squealed, still trying to hit him despite the growing number of odd looks it was getting him. He seemed to realise he was the centre of attention and lowered his voice to a hiss, as if that would have got him anywhere.

"Well you do act like one, smooth move with the deodorant by the way, that topped it off nicely." Sasuke continued to fluster the blonde, who looked guiltily at a Lynx can as it rolled past them.

"That was YOUR fault, bastard! I was picking some up and that stupid announcement came on and I got annoyed when I heard my name and-"

"Decided to knock the shelf down?"

"NO! I just pulled the can out too harshly and then all went flying everywhere! They're like dominoes! I couldn't stop them!"

Sasuke hummed and folded his arms, smiling when another announcement came on over the intercom system warning customers there had been an accident in one of the aisles and to be careful not to trip on any of the many cans that had escaped the shelf. Naruto jerked and groaned when he noticed some of the cans had rolled completely out of the aisle and into others.

"Dammit! Why are all the cans round huh?! Who decided deodorant had to be round?!" He asked exasperatedly.

"I dunno, why don't you go and ask whoever invented it? Be careful not to get angry and knock him out too." He received a glare. "Where's this teddy I told you to get anyway?"

Naruto gave him a blank look before life flashed up in his eyes and with a 'oh!' he ran back to the shelf and picked up one of the few things left on it. He dumped the toy into Sasuke's arms, who looked at it questioningly.

"Didn't I say get a _teddy bear_?" He noted, looking into the eyes of a cuddly fox plush. It was an orange-brown colour with black plastic eyes and a chubby tail.

"Well...yeah, but there was loads and I didn't know which one to get and they all looked the same and then I saw this one on its own at the end of the shelf y'know and it's waaaay cuter than the others and I like foxes!"

The raven stared at the man and back to the fox, he wasn't sure why but the two looked similar. Naruto had always bared some animalistic resemblance. He had three faint scars on each cheek that looked like whiskers; Sasuke had only learned about the origin of the scars a few months ago as Naruto was very secretive about them and always evaded answering when he asked.

When Naruto was younger, before he'd come out of his shell and made friends, he was bullied a lot. He was an orphan and always found it difficult to cope in school when his classmates went home with their parents and he was left alone waiting for his teacher and guardian to finish marking test papers and take him home with him. He used to be a troublemaker because he wanted people to notice him and craved attention, however this just made the other kids dislike him more and they began to pick on him. Instead of telling Iruka out of fear he'd just be bullied more, he used to scratch his face when he was alone in his bedroom, whenever he got particularly upset he'd do it sometimes even subconsciously. It became a paradox comfort for him and Iruka could not stop him from doing it as it resulted in Naruto getting angry and hysterical when he tried. He began seeing a child councillor and as life moved on and he moved to primary school, he became stronger, he stopped self harming and began standing up for himself and trying to make friends. The scars remained on his face like whiskers but they were a part of him now and he looked at them and the memories they brought as events that had made him stronger.

Sasuke traced the line of the whiskers on the fox plush and gave a sad look, agreeing to buy it and rolling his eyes as he heard the victory cheers. He let Naruto carry it and noted the resemblance again. Naruto could have looked like a cat with the whisker marks but he didn't. Naruto was not like a cat, he was not graceful, solitary or mysterious. He was more...wild, brash and canine but not doglike. A fox suited him perfectly, plus as he'd said, he liked the animal, so if there was an animal to associate him with, besides his favourite (the frog) it was a fox.

The mental debate lasted to they got to the tills and began packing the items in bags, ignoring the curious looks the woman was giving them. It was fair, he supposed, they did have nothing but mounds of baby items, it could be classed as somewhat odd.

"Are you...expecting?" The woman asked, looking to Sakura and Sasuke, who were putting the heavy box containing the baby basket into the trolley together while Naruto was helping the midwife put things on the conveyor belt.

"No, they are." Sakura answered, nodding to Sasuke and Naruto. The woman blushed and mumbled apologies, saying nothing more. Sasuke and Sakura shared a look between them, both feeling put down by the woman's obvious embarrassment about the men's relationship. The pink haired woman sighed, patting Sasuke on the shoulder before packing another bag - some people were just like that, she supposed. Sasuke was ignoring the now silent employee, Naruto hadn't even noticed and jumped as his lover snapped at him to come help pack. All he did was grab the fox plush when it had been scanned and Sakura along with the midwife dropped their packing to coo away at how adorable it was.

_Women..._ Sasuke sighed mentally.

* * *

The house had been silent for most of the day, aside from the noisy fiasco first thing in the morning. Aside from the odd creak it was quiet, _was_ quiet, before a bag laden Naruto shoved the door open and half collapsed onto the ground, disturbing the house's comfortable peace.

"HAH! See I _can_ carry more bags than you!" He panted victoriously as Sasuke entered the house carrying only a couple. He put them down and turned to help Sakura with the Moses basket but she could easily carry it herself, he sometimes marvelled at the woman's strength. Naruto pouted as he was ignored before he realised what Sasuke's intention of the challenge had been. "Wait! You just said you could carry more bags knowing I'd grab them all, didn't you!?" He gasped.

"Ding, ding, ding we have a winnerrrrr!" Sasuke mocked enthusiasm, even ringing an invisible bell above his head. Naruto punched him and Sasuke's leg sprung forward on autopilot, aiming for Naruto's shins.

"Guys seriously, what are you!? Children?!" Sakura fussed, breaking them apart while she tinkered round on her phone. "Oh!" She stopped and then halted their glaring contest to look at her. "Oops sorry guys, I nearly forgot, I'm gonna be late for an appointment so I'll have to leave now. Call me when the baby arrives!"

"What appointment is it?" Naruto asked innocently and received a smack across the head. "OW!" He whined angrily. "What was that fo-"

"You don't ask about a lady's appointments, where is your tact!" She put her phone into her bag and hugged each of them before turning to leave, calling goodbye on her way out. Sasuke smiled, content in his earlier suspicions and rolled his eyes at Naruto's cluelessness. His back cracked loudly as he stretched and fell back onto the red squashy sofa behind them, tiredly checking his phone like he had been doing all day since he woke up. He was awaiting Choza's call about the baby. It was afternoon so it may have been a little early but he checked regardless all through the day for any word.

Naruto watched as the Uchiha placed his phone on the coffee table and sighed, laying his arm over his eyes. "Hey." He said quietly, laying down next to the raven and poking him on the nose. "Don't fall asleep."

"Hmm."

Naruto rolled so he was on top of the darker haired man and pulled the arm away from his eyes. "Hey, smile, bastard." He weakly poked his forehead.

"I would, but there's a blonde moron lying on me." He retorted with a yawn, Naruto gave him a glum look before he smiled playfully again, leaning down and kissing Sasuke's forehead. The Uchiha nuzzled his nose upwards until it touched the blonde's and their lips connected lightly. Naruto smiled, brushing the black bangs out of Sasuke's eyes and holding the sides of his face gently while he deepened the innocent kiss. The Uchiha brought up his arms, resting a hand on the back of Naruto's neck whilst the other rubbed his spine warmly. He glided his tongue along his lovers and felt Naruto return the gesture, lovingly encasing the pale face underneath him. The kiss was deep and reached the point where their heads moved softly in unison to a chorus of rustling clothes, quick exhalations and gentle moans. Naruto felt Sasuke's and ghosting along the bare skin underneath his T-shirt, it was a movement of love, not a push towards passion however and the kiss descended the imaginary bedroom stairs, their lips slowing to a series of soft meaningful touches. Naruto felt the joint kiss end and placed his lips firstly on his lover's cheek, then his neck before he let his heavy head rest in the warm junction between Sasuke's neck and shoulders.

"Hey, Sas?" Naruto said quietly, breath rolling out over the silky skin his face was buried into. He laced his fingers into Sasuke's free hand, the other still tracing light lines into the skin near the bottom of his back.

"Hmm?"

"Can you believe that in a few hours, we could be fathers?"

Sasuke paused, placed his hand flat on Naruto's back and rolled them over so they were side by side, looking his lover in the eyes whilst keeping their hands joined between them.

"Hopefully." He sighed.

"No, definitely!" The blonde chirped, full of confidence as always, Sasuke gave another look to the phone he could barley spot due to a mound of blonde hair in the way and smiled briefly.

"Yeah."

They fell quiet again, Sasuke closing his eyes peacefully, feeling Naruto playing with his hair, relaxing him.

"Hey Sas?"

He knew it wouldn't last.

"Hmm?"

"If were gonna have a baby soon, shouldn't we go put the stuff in her bedroom?"

"Hmm."

Silence ensued again and Sasuke fell back into the hypnotic state Naruto put upon him with the gently stroking of his hair. He could feel the man's breath hitting his face softly and wondered how far away his lips were, he didn't have the energy to open his eyes.

"Sas?"

"Hmm?" He breathed.

"What are we calling her?"

His eyes forgot their tiredness and opened to see Naruto a few inches away, looking at him less sleepy but still peaceful as he was. He shrugged weakly, he'd been trying to think of names all day but none had stood out to him and he just kept referring to her as 'the baby'. She needed a name he knew, she had done for a month now, he knew one would come to him and it would be perfect but his epiphany hadn't happened yet. He hoped it wasn't going to turn into some kind of mental blank like his work had. At least he had Naruto to help with this problem even if it did.

"We'll think of something." He sighed, Naruto buried his face into his chest.

"Sasuke." He mumbled, voice vibrating up his ribcage.

"What now?"

"Don't go to sleep."

"I know." He insisted, however he fell deeper into his relaxation, senses becoming a little hazy, he was aware of Naruto poking him and scolding him but he was too tired to give a damn.

"Fine I'll just go and look through all the drawers in your desk and-"

He got as far as the kitchen before Sasuke tackled him and nearly sent them flying to the ground. There were several mumbles of 'bastard' before the blonde broke free and rolled his eyes at the raven, who was stood in the doorway to his office like some kind of leopard guarding its prey.

"What have you got in there anyway that's so secret huh?" Sasuke watched as his partner swerved the breakfast bar and made for the cupboards for his daily ramen fix. He found it funny that the blonde could not multitask and yet he managed to pull ramen from the cupboard, leave the kettle filling while he unwrapped the plastic from the polystyrene cup and then fill it in record timing with no spillages.

"Nothing..." Sasuke answered his question, leaning on the doorframe of his office as he watched Naruto now impatiently tapping chopsticks on the kitchen units while the noodles soaked. "Nobody sees my manga drafts before my publisher and if you went in there then everything would be a mess or on fire in two seconds flat." He stayed by the door, Naruto could spring at him at any moment. It wasn't that he didn't trust him, no, he most _definitely_ did not trust him. Sasuke was highly secretive and Naruto, highly curious. Put the two in a house together and it spelled chaos. Naruto had been known to try anything possible to take a look at the exclusive sketchbooks and drafts in Sasuke's office so boiling ramen didn't make him seem any less dangerous.

The blonde snorted, turning to him momentarily. "You're the pyromaniac, not me."

Sasuke sniffed at him passively, he had been known to set things on fire on occasion, if you could call once a month 'on occasion'. He didn't mean to, he just seemed to attract sparks and flames for some reason, it was no wonder he was so stressed, his whole life revolved around permanent pens and paper, two highly flammable substances.

"Besides." Sasuke looked up at Naruto who was now facing him with a cheeky grin. "I bet the real reason is because you secretly love to draw yaoi and have loads of yaoi manga and gay porno magazines in the drawers."

Sasuke snorted at him and told the blonde to stop being ridiculous, at the same time going into a mental frenzy. _Damn...I need to lock that drawer!..._

While Naruto was occupied with doing a victory dance as the three minutes of ramen stewing ended Sasuke slipped into his office unnoticed – or so he thought.

"Going to hide your porn?!" The blonde called from the kitchen and the Uchiha took his embarrassment out on the carpet which suffered under the gaze of the glare of doom.

"No!" He called back, locating the keys to the drawer under his desk and locking it, then locking all the others too so it wasn't just a single suspicious one locked. "I just got a manga idea." He excused his actions as an afterthought.

"Oh really?" Naruto didn't sound convinced. "What it is then?"

"Like I'd tell you!" Sasuke retorted, emerging again and grabbing the bags they had left by the entrance to the living room. "Now come on, stop playing around, we have a nursery to make."

"Says the one about to fall asleep until I threatened to unveil his porno stash!"

"I do not have a porno stash!"

"Yeah yeah, whatever..."

.

* * *

As the earth shifted in space and the sun fell away from a certain side of the hemisphere, light began to fade in the small upper bedroom of the suburban house two men now stood in together. Soft evening light cascaded in through the open window, casting silky shadows of grey, pink and orange across the cream coloured walls. What was once a spare bedroom was now a room fit for a baby. A miniature bathtub, filled with wipes, rubber ducks, baby oil and the frog towel from earlier that day lay in front of the decorated wardrobe. On the wooden doors now hung a height chart that you could slot pictures into and small framed photos of rabbits and other such creatures. Inside was a little girls paradise, a rail and shelves now full of tiny frilled dresses and pastel baby grows in a rainbow of colours. Small booties and socks lay side by side at the bottom next to a folded up pram. On a dresser full of nappies and products laid a pale squashy changing mat and opposite, a small creamy Moses basket containing orange and ivory sheets, sleeping under a small tinkling mobile. On the walls hung photographs of a hyperactive blonde and a quiet brunette, soon to be fathers. Alongside the captured memories were ones of a beautiful woman and her husband, Haku and Zabuza. The room was quiet as the two surveying men stood and admired it, feeling he stillness of the sun set air. The room felt homey, yet empty at the same time, the personal touches – several ramen cups on the rainbow coloured rug, the photographs, the fox plush in the basket – should have gave the room a personal feel. It did, but the same mixed feelings were running throughout both Sasuke and Naruto's veins.

Sasuke took in the room, in dim fading light and wrapped his arms around his lover who was burying his face into the raven's chest. He noticed the bare windowsill.

"Plants." He said softly, Naruto gave a 'hmm?' "Flowers...I was going to ask you to choose some for in here for her, that's what's missing."

"Mmm...Apart from her herself." Naruto mumbled into his T-shirt.

"Yeah..."

A bird chirped outside as they fell silent again, it wasn't the plant making the room empty and it wasn't all down to the lack of baby. Sasuke knew what was running through their minds, knowing Naruto would voice it. He had been waiting for Naruto to voice what they were feeling for a while now, soon enough, the blonde began to fidget before he squeaked a sentence into his partner's chest.

"It's not right..." Sasuke remained silent, stroking the man's back tenderly as he waited for him to continue. "She should be...with her mom and dad..."

Feeling a pang in his own chest, the Uchiha squeezed Naruto into a hug as he heard a small telltale noise of tears. His suspicions confirmed when he tipped the blondes chin up to see the blue eyes shining with tears, softly rolling down his scarred cheeks. With clouds reflected in his irises from the open window, it looked like the sky itself was crying. Sasuke thought he'd never seen such a sadly beautiful sight, it was like this room. He knew at some point the realisation would hit them, it would hit Naruto that his close friends had been murdered, it would hit Sasuke that the baby he wanted so badly was an orphan because of his brother and that his partners tears were also caused by him. Naruto had heard about his friends deaths but he'd not cried until now, he had been too in shock, Sasuke had been waiting for the man's breakdown since that day. Whenever Sasuke had tried to get him to talk about it he evaded the chat, giving one of his trademark grins and changing the subject. Naruto was always making people hopeful with that grin, helping his friends, helping him...but Sasuke knew his positive energy that he gave to many people, came at a price. Occasionally there were times he'd see so much sadness in his lover's eyes when Naruto though nobody was watching, it made him want to cry, although that wasn't possible, he hadn't cried since his parents were killed.

"Sasuke..." Naruto sniffed and then sobbed into his torso, each choked cry slipping straight through his damp T-shirt, through the complex weave of his skin, around his ribs and directly into his heart. He wanted so badly to wrap him in a bubble and protect him, he made do with encasing the crying man in his arms and leading them to a blanket covered chair by the window. Naruto sat in his lap and hid his face in between Sasuke's neck and shoulders, his tears dripping gently down pale Uchiha skin. "Sasuke why...w-why them? I miss them...Why did he..." His sentence ended in a series of ragged breaths and heartbroken wails. "I'm sorry." He gasped in between sobs. "I'm sorry, Sasuke, I..."

"Don't." The Uchiha choked, cradling the back of Naruto's head firmly and holding him close, a small anger rising up from his stomach. "Don't be sorry. Think of yourself for once, not me." He fell silent again as he let the man cry all the pent up sadness out of himself, mourning his friends death into Sasuke's heart, where he'd keep it and be sad for the blonde days after he was finished crying. Naruto got over things quickly, he replaced sadness with hope, determination and a strong belief that good could come as a result of a bad event. Just like the baby...

"Hey now." Sasuke whispered as he felt Naruto's crying subsiding, he held him further away so they were face to face and used the blanket from the chair to wipe his eyes gently. "She'll be here soon, you don't want her to see you upset do you?" Naruto shook his head glumly, a sad smile on his face. "Then tomorrow we can ring Kakashi, Jiraiya and Iruka and surprise them like you wanted, hm?" He stroked the blonde underneath his reddened eyes with his thumbs, holding the man's face in the palms of his hands. When Naruto maintained his gaze on their laps he whispered his name, and held his face up when it rose to look him in the eye. He looked at him meaningfully. "They will be proud of you...I am."

He meant it too, every time he would see the child he would be reminded of his brother but every time Naruto saw the child he would be reminded of his friend's death. Despite this, he'd agreed to adopt the baby, knowing it was what Sasuke wanted, he'd gave a speech and fought to get her as quickly as possible because Sasuke wanted that. Only now when they were stood in the nursery were the telltale signs of sadness showing but still Naruto was going along with it. Even without Sasuke, he would be doing and it was what the Uchiha admired. He could feel Naruto tracing circles on the back of his neck, thankful for the comforting gesture. Naruto knew Sasuke was hurting like he was, but he just couldn't express it. The raven stared sadly as a lone tear escaped from his lover's left eye and slipped down his cheek, the tear trail pressed into his own when the blonde kissed him softly upon his lips, then cuddled into him again, this time his teas falling silent. They pulled the blanket over themselves and held each other. As they shared their sadness, Sasuke marvelled at how something so small, beautiful and precious could bring two people so much pain.

* * *

_Bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz..._

_Bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz..._

_Kono ryoute ni kakaete iru mono toki no shizuku,Sotto nigirishimete wasureta kioku nakushita kotoba Hey hey eheh Hey heyeeeheeey_

_Bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz..._

_Hitotsu hitotsu omoidaseba,_

_Bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz..._

Sasuke groaned quietly. "Go awaaaay Karin..." He mumbled, reaching his hand out to grab his phone from the bedside table, frowning when his hand grasped thin air. Opening his eyes, he realised why and snapped awake sharply, trying to move but hearing a small snort and finding Naruto to still be asleep on his lap. Soon after this he found the room was now in total darkness aside from the moonlight streaming in through the still open window, causing a chill to float through the nursery. Sasuke would have shivered if it were not for the radiator-like blonde still tightly wrapped round him with the blankets.

_Shit, how long have we been asleep!?_ He frenzied, trying to reach for the phone vibrating its way along the floor away from his outstretched fingertips, the ringtone Naruto had forced him to use still blaring loudly. "Damn phone!" He hissed, holding his partner tightly with one arm while he just managed to grab the singing phone, Naruto, could sleep through anything. He almost dropped it when he saw who was calling.

_Incoming call – Choza Akimichi_

He bit his lip and pressed the answer button, gripping the phone tightly as he put it to his ear. This was the moment he'd been waiting for all day, to find out if they had been accepted as the baby's new parents. It was something they were both nervous about, so he should have woken the blonde for this moment but he was still snoring lightly into Sasuke's chest and he knew it would take a few minutes to wake him – he couldn't wait that long.

"Hello?" He answered firmly, still half in belief that this was a dream and that Karin would in fact answer and start trying to have phone sex with him.

"Mr Uchiha," Choza replied, there was a pause and a jolt of panic ran through the Raven, wondering if the serious formal tone meant bad news.

_What's with the formalities!? Please don't say we haven't been accepted..._

He didn't dare breathe in case he didn't hear the next part; he silently wished Naruto would stop snoring and muttering things in his sleep. He usually found it amusing but not now when he was about to discover if he had a daughter officially or not. "Sasuke,"

_Now it's back to my first name...does that mean we have been accepted? Just hurry up and tell me!_

"Congratulations."

The moment he heard that word, his brain froze, just for a second while he processed the word and what it meant. He'd expected an overwhelming feeling of happiness but he just felt...blank...he felt like he'd just come out of a coma, he wasn't sure what that felt like but he would give a bet it felt like this. He couldn't feel anything, for a moment he forgot everything, his head was filled with a sudden and overwhelming silence and time seemed to have stopped.

"Sasuke? Sasuke!"

"S-sorry!" He stuttered and almost like a waterfall everything cascaded back to him. He could suddenly sense Naruto again, feel the cold on his bare arms, and hear the dull buzzing in his head.

"You seem shocked! All our hard work wasn't for nothing you know!"

"Our...we...?"

"Sasuke Uchiha, you are now a father, congratulations, you've been accepted, she is in your care now."

Sasuke could hear the large smile in the man's tone and was glad he was already sat down because he would definitely have needed to be seated as he was hearing this.

_I'm a father?_

"I-I'm a father?" He asked aloud after he'd thought it, hearing a hearty laugh from the other end of the line. "I'm...I'm a father!" He gasped, eyes widening as it sunk into his mind a little further. "N-Naruto wake up!" Frantically he shook the blonde's shoulder; he needed him to be hearing this too, he needed somebody else to have their pulse beating rapidly in their ears and a tingling running through their veins and a dryness in their throat. "Naruto come on, please!"

"Sasuke, you sound a little in shock, calm down, it's okay." Choza reassured, hoping the man wasn't about to have a nervous breakdown on him. He was amused that Naruto seemed to be sleeping at this moment, he didn't know the man well but it seemed to be typical of him.

"It's more than okay!" Sasuke insisted, voice getting louder as the new knowledge settled in more and more. "Can we come to the centre now!?...Naruto _wake up_!"

"Sasuke, Sasuke, please, yes you may come collect her but please-"

"We're coming now!"

"Mr Uchiha, listen to me, I know you are excited right now but please try to calm down before you make your way, I don't want any road accidents because you're too hasty and worked up!"

Sasuke paused and took a few deep breaths, the effort just making him feel lightheaded, all he could think about was the fact he had a daughter and she was waiting for him.

"And don't worry." Choza began, almost reading his mind. "She's not going anywhere; you can pick her up at any time tonight." Sasuke tried to calm himself before answering.

"We'll be there soon." He insisted, still shaking Naruto, who was determined to stay asleep and clung to him like a baby orang-utan.

"See you soon, Sasuke."

"Goodbye."

The line went dead and the raven dropped his phone immediately, putting his face into his hands and trying to get hold of himself.

_I'm a father...I'm a father...I'm a father...okay calm down Uchiha...calm...nice and calm...think peaceful thoughts...a nice organised room with everything labelled and colour coded...hmm...that's better...now if Naruto would just-_

"WAKE UP!"

"Huh?"

"Naruto!" Sasuke gasped as signs of life showed themselves, trying to push up from the chair with the man still clinging to him. He got them to his feet, where Naruto slumped against him, falling back into his deep sleep. "Naruto! Don't go back to sleep! Naruto we've got a baby!" He picked the man's legs up so he was carrying him, the blonde wrapped his arms around Sasuke's neck and mumbled, only partly conscious.

"Mmm...Yeah...love you lots, baby."

Well he'd got one word right.

"No!" Sasuke snapped, marching out of the room and down the stairs, still carrying the man. "I'm not flirting right now for Christ's sake! Of all times for you to be sedated!" He got to the living room, hoisting Naruto up with one arm while he tried to locate his car keys. The sharp hoist and the loud rattling was what broke Naruto free of the unconscious state into a semi Cooperative one.

"Mm...Sasuke...put me down I'm...not a...baby..." He moaned, trying to wriggle out of the exasperated Uchiha's arms.

"Funny you should mention babies! I've been trying to tell you for the past ten minutes that WE HAVE ONE!" He flapped, now rushing round for his coat.

"Oh...okay." Pale hands froze on the furred hood of the coat and he turned slowly, wearing a face of horror at the man's lack of enthusiasm. Naruto started back at him blankly for a few seconds, before adopting a face that asked 'why are you looking at me like that' and then his jaw dropped, his eyes widened and his hands came to smack himself in the mouth. "WAIT! YOU MEAN-"

"YES MORON!" He grabbed the coat and ran back over to his partner, who was now aware of what was happening, he wasn't sure why he was running at him, he'd never felt compelled to run at anybody before, he hoped Naruto knew why people did this because he didn't. His impulses and adrenaline were acting for him at the moment. Luckily Naruto was more socially adapted and spring from the couch, catching his lover in a fierce hug as they made contact, almost knocking the wind out of both of them. Naruto stumbled and they fell back onto the sofa, holding onto each other as if their life depended on it, the same thought revolving around Sasuke's head over and over like a stuck record.

_I'm a father...I'm a father...I'm a father..._

Haphazardly they stood, untangling themselves from each other and this time both of them rushing, Naruto asking questions as he ran to get his jacket and phone. Sasuke clung to his keys tightly, embarrassed that the tinkling noise coming from them was being caused by his hands shaking. To cover the tinkling noise he hastily explained they had been accepted and were going to pick her up from Choza at the centre straight away. He almost dropped the keys when he realised Naruto was ready, and walking with him to the front door. They suddenly came to be outside and Sasuke was aware he was attempting to lock the door, Naruto raising an eyebrow when he noticed the Uchiha was shaking too much to get the key in the lock and growing more and more frustrated.

"Sas, let me do it." He took the keys from his fumbling partner and locked the door swiftly. "And don't even think about driving when you're like that! I'm going to drive."

Sasuke didn't argue for once, he was aware he must be acting oddly, he wondered if he were having some kind of mild panic attack because everything seemed oddly silent, magnified and out of place to him. He felt Naruto grab his arm and blinked in the blonde's direction, briefly seeing his face before his lips were clamped tightly to his. A gasp uttered its way into his partners mouth as the dull, spinning, whir of confusion in his head ended swiftly. Coming back to his sense, he mimicked his lover by taking his head in his hands and deepened the kiss before pulling back and hugging him tightly again.

"Thank you." He whispered meekly, Naruto smiled into Sasuke's shoulder.

"Let's go."

* * *

The car ride, for Sasuke, could not have gone any slower. Every meter they drove seemed to be taking twice as long as it usually would, traffic lights took centuries to turn green and roundabouts were like a never ending cycle of doom. Naruto was in fact driving a little faster than he should have been but Sasuke couldn't tell whilst his head was in some kind of other realm, constantly insisting Naruto drive faster, much to the blonde's disgruntlement, he was already over the speed limit.

They came to yet another traffic light that halted them before a roundabout junction. _Great..._ Sasuke thought, his foot rocking impatiently on the dashboard where he'd rested it, _not only do we get the worlds slowest changing lights, no, we get the worlds slowest entrance to the never ending spin cycle of vehicles! _He muttered under his breath at first abuse directed at the light he was glaring at out of the passenger window, eventually the muttering wasn't enough.

"OH COME ON! EVOLUTION WAS QUICKER THAN THIS!" He roared, shocking a surprised Naruto, who had just been silently congratulating Sasuke on his quiet past five minutes. He'd hit the horn as he jerked violently in his shock and jumped again as the loud noise sounded.

"JESUS!" He gasped, holding his chest. "Talk about overkill! I just had a _double_ heart attack!"

Sasuke, currently ignoring the dirty looks from the other drivers due to the unnecessary 'beep' hadn't even noticed the horn going off, too busy swearing at the red light, which turned amber as Naruto managed to breathe properly again.

"GO! GO! GO!" Sasuke shouted and Naruto panicked, something going horribly wrong between the clutch, accelerator and gear stick, resulting in the car stalling and several annoyed beeps coming from behind them. Sasuke shrieked and Naruto's mind blanked for a minute, taking a deep breath to get hold of himself before he sorted the problem out. Unfortunately this gave him a second to take in the past fifteen minutes of his life and it resulted in a small chuckle, which developed into a laugh and then a violent case of giggles that he couldn't stop as he sorted the car out and got it going again. "Stop laughing!" Sasuke gasped, looking out the back window and seeing some nasty death-glares from the waiting drivers and he _knew_ death-glares better than anybody, they _were_ nasty. This only fuelled Naruto's laughter on more however and Sasuke felt the urge to laugh himself as he took in sight of the half crying half overjoyed man beside him. "S-stop it! Were stopping all the traffic!" He warned again, begging his lips to stop tugging up at the corners. "N-Naru..." He muffled a laugh. "Seriously!"

A loud beep from the car behind them set them both off and they fell about laughing on the dashboard, Naruto tried to speak but the Uchiha couldn't understand him through the sobs and sharp breaths leaving his mouth, only fuelling his own cachinnating more. By the time they actually jerked into the roundabout, the lights were just about turning red again and they continued to crack up as the waiting line of cars was stopped a second time round.

"I think...we pissed...them off!" Naruto choked, trying to wipe his eyes, new tears falling from them as he did so, Sasuke was holding his diaphragm, which was jerking so violently he feared it was going to snap. He couldn't remember the last time he'd laughed so much, to the point where tears were now falling from his own eyes and onto his lap. The only time tears ever formed in his eyes was when he laughed so much he could help it and he didn't laugh forcefully for long periods of time often because sooner or later he'd-

"HAHAHAHAHA!" Naruto cracked up as a snort escaped in-between Sasuke's chortles, causing the man to laugh so hard he actually couldn't breathe and in fear of bursting or causing a crash he silently mouthed he had to pull over. Once at the side of the road they shuddered forwards in a silent laughter, neither able to stop it. Eventually they had to breathe and did do loudly, the breath only fuelling a louder laugh, Naruto trying to talk again and failing, almost paralysed with the giggling, holding a shuddering arm out and grabbing Sasuke's shoulder, the raven fell in towards him, unable to keep his self control.

"Oh...my...god..." Naruto whooped "I haven't...heard you...snort...in so long!"

"That's...why I don't...like laughing!" He gasped, then taking in a large breath again, except it came out in a long snort and Naruto feared his sides were going to split or he would throw up. The chortling was now getting painful.

"Oooh! Ooh Sasuke stop...it!...I...cant!...breathe!"

"I...know it...hurts!...so bad! Ohhh!"

They held onto one another clumsily for support, Sasuke with his face in Naruto's neck while the blonde continued.

"Oh! Come on stop!...We have...to go get...a baby!"

Sasuke snorted again loudly and they wheezed, clutching their stomachs whilst they laughed over one another.

"We...ow!...need to....ahh!...stop!..." Sasuke warned, Naruto making noises of discomfort. The raven brought his laughing lips up Naruto's neck to his mouth and tried to kiss him, resulting in more giggles and snorting, so he gave up, moving back to the man's neck, where he sucked on it – anything to keep their mouths preoccupied.

"Ah!...hahahha....hahahahhaaa!..ow!...Sasuke!..." Naruto guffawed as Sasuke half laughed into, half devoured his neck. The Uchiha's body suddenly becoming very interested in its new task as Naruto, like him, continued to moan at the pain of the laughter. He ran his tongue over the man's throat, unlocking his seatbelt and pressing into him, feeling Naruto tangling his fingers in his raven locks. His mouth grew hungrier, nipping at the skin, feeling Naruto flinch with a slight gasp, their actions taking place with the same intensity and lack of control as the laughter had. The blonde was arching into him, moaning as the laughter began to die further away and their diaphragms released painfully. "Oh! Oh god that hurt! Haha! Ah, god, Sasuke!" The Raven lost some more self control, pushing the man underneath him back so they were lying across the two chairs, Naruto squeaked loudly. "Hand brake up the arse!" He gasped and set them off laughing a little again as he shifted, the Uchiha licking his chest, his lips, his throat, any part of him he could find, still panting from the effort of his laughter.

"Ah!...hahaa!...Naruto...fuck...!"

"Sas...ahh...S-sasuke...god...oh...haha...hahaha...ha!...ha! W-wait! Fuck, stop!" Sasuke continued, lost in the aftermath of his laugh-attack, Naruto moaning when he lifted up his shirt and sucked just above his navel. "Ah!...No...s-stop...don't...no!...Ah STOP!" The blonde grabbed his lover and pushed him backwards so they broke free of each other, both wheezing loudly as cars zoomed past behind them. "We can't do that on the side of a road!" Naruto panted as he glanced up at Sasuke to see the most seductive silky look in his eyes, face flushed and hair messy upon his head. "Fuck! Why do you have to be so hot!?" He let his head fall forward, where it hit the wheel and set the horn off again, both of them laughing involuntary and sending the other a warning glance.

"Don't start me laughing again!" Sasuke frowned, gasping for air tiredly, sending another sultry look Naruto's way. "I'll have to kiss you again."

"You weren't kissing me! You were eating me!" The blonde argued, trying to get rid of his sex-hair in the mirror and smoothing his clothes out...not that he'd be able to smooth out his jeans...he hoped that problem would be gone by the time they got to the centre.

"I stopped us laughing, didn't I." Sasuke made himself more presentable too, fastening his coat up, it stopped a little under his hips and Naruto tutted loudly, Uchihas...they had to have solutions for everything didn't they? Even hard-ons...

"Yeah..." He grumbled "But the car smells like sex now!"

"Wouldn't be the first time..." Sasuke sniffed back at him and Naruto hid a grin before he straightened himself out, they had places to go and babies to meet.

"Anyway...are we finished?" He sighed.

"Well...not technically." Sasuke mused, looking into Naruto's lap and raising his eyebrows. "Would you like _me_ to go in and get her?"

"N-no!" Naruto blushed, pulling his small jacket round himself. "I'll be fine when we get there!"

The raven grinned slyly and leant forward, Naruto mesmerised by his onyx eyes in spite of himself leaning forward too as Sasuke whispered onto his lips. "Really? I could sort out your problem for you now if you want?" He licked his bottom lip lightly and Naruto almost let his eyelids flutter shut.

"No!" He squeaked, fanning himself in a fluster, "No definitely not! Not at the side of a road, bastard!" He started the car up again quickly and made sure no cars were coming before he got them back onto the lane. "Besides, it's your fault in the first place! If you hadn't have decided to spontaneously devour me then we wouldn't be having this conversation! Weren't you shouting at me to hurry earlier on, we have a baby to see!"

"Yeah..." Sasuke hummed, looking out of the window. "But you started us laughing in the first place and you were...making all these...noises...and it turned me on...so it's your fault."

Naruto blushed at him and pointed out that he wouldn't have even laughed if it weren't for Sasuke acting like an overworked, overprotective mother. To which Sasuke insisted first of all, that he was not and secondly Naruto was fun to fluster.

The last few minutes of the journey were considerably quieter, after their 'moment' Sasuke felt calmer, like he'd gotten some of his excitement and anxiety out of himself, however he was still rocking his foot on the dash and Naruto could see the man biting his lip nervously too. As they got into one of the more crowded streets and the steady pulsing glow from the lampposts turned into floods of erratically placed light, Naruto slowed down and found somewhere to park. When they arrived and found somewhere just outside the centre they sighed thoughtfully in the silence of the recently stopped engine and looked at each other apprehensively.

"Well." Naruto began softly. "She right in there, waiting for us." Sasuke looked out of the window behind Naruto's head as he nibbled his lower lip, blinking down when Naruto took his hand. "You okay?"

The Uchiha nodded, squeezing the more tanned hands in his and leaning forwards to kiss the man they belonged to before leaning his forehead against his. "Are _you_ okay?" He whispered. "When we woke up before...I didn't get to ask."

"I'm fine, it been a hectic night..." Naruto reassured, stroking Sasuke' cheek lightly, watching the paler man as he looked over his shoulder at the building fearfully, before his gaze was pulled back to his partner. "I love you." Naruto said with a small smile, Sasuke smiled back at him.

"I love you." The men shared a tight hug before they took a breath and opened their doors to the chilly night air. The light from the building glowing onto the stairs as the two walked up them, hand in hand. They were at the glass doors when they heard it, the familiar wails of their baby they had heard the day before. They smiled at each other as they journeyed to the entrance area and the echo from before clicked back into place in Sasuke's mind.

_I'm a father...I'm a father...I'm a father..._

"Boys!" Choza greeted eagerly when they came into view, he smiled, they looked terrified. "I'm glad you're here, the darling has been crying for the past ten minutes we brought her out here! I'm sure you can work your magic." He shook their hands and congratulated them again before reaching down into the pram and pulling the crying baby girl from it. Instinctively Sasuke reached forwards, heart racing, this is what he'd been waiting for. She was placed in his arms, warmth spreading through him as she snuggled into his chest and ceased her crying within a few minutes. Naruto rolled his eyes at the Uchiha, rubbing his shoulder as they looked down at their new daughter.

"I'm a father." Sasuke spoke aloud, fearing if it stayed in his head revolving round any longer he might explode.

"No." Naruto corrected, wrapping his arms around the back of his lover and stoking his child on the head gently. "We're a family."

.

.

* * *

.

.

_"This is base number nine...I listened to the call...its confirmed, they were accepted." A deep voice gruffly announced into a head set, ring adorned finger on the transmittal button. A fuzzy few seconds pause and then:_

_"Understood...you know the next step."_

_A sly smile crossed them man's face as his work for the day was done, he crossed the small secret room to the notice board on the wall. An identical map of information to the rest of his organisation was pinned to it and he wrote down the latest news, marking it as important. All the while the sly grin never left his face and it only grew when he grabbed a photograph from it and fell back into his chair, cockily eying the picture. A still Zabuza stared back at him and a deep heartless chuckle fell from the man's mouth. He let the photo rest on his black-cloaked lap and tapped it._

_"Hope you're having fun in the afterlife, brother. The rest of your family will soon be there with you..."_

_._

_._

* * *

**Dun dun dunnnn...**

**Kakashi/Iruka/Jiraiya entrance next chapter! More is revealed next time...**

**And ah I had to get some cheesyness and boylove in there xD**

**Please review!! trust me I need the help xD**


	4. Hugs, Cuddles, Squeals and Uchihas?

**Wow guys I'm aliiiive :D **

**Finally(!!!) the next chapter is here. I hope this lives up to expectations, I made it a lot longer than any other chapter so far. The delay was due to a mix of having lots of work and also due to a huge bout of writing constipation. I somehow lost the ability to write anything decent at all for a few weeks My ability returned though, I've worked hard on this in the past few days! I've also been working on other fics and making the plot of this more detailed and better thought out. Those who read 'Oe Word Is All it Takes', the next chapter will be written now that this one is out of the way.**

**If aybody needs a reminder of the end of the last chapter, they had just been accepted for adoption and were picking the baby up.**

**I really hope you enjoy :)**

* * *

Chapter Four - Hugs, cuddles, squeals and...Uchihas?!

Sat in the driver's seat of his car on the road back to home, Sasuke was smiling. For the past ten minutes of his drive he had been flicking his gaze from the other fluorescent cars and tarmac to gaze at his family in the back seats. Naruto, after much debate and several frowns of 'are you sure?' had allowed Sasuke to drive. Since they had left the centre, his excited neurotic state had left him and been replaced with a calm and tender one in which he deemed it safe to operate vehicles. They had bundled the infant into the borrowed car seat (they hadn't installed their own yet), and the blonde had decided to sit in the back next to her. Sasuke had watched in the rear view mirrors, the baby was asleep, tiny lips parted in a soft 'o' shape and Naruto was holding her hand gently, staring with a content and loving smile at the child. After five minutes or so he was asleep too, head resting on the top of the seat, being watched by the smiling Uchiha, who took note of how his lovers face would illuminate every few seconds as they passed routine lamp posts. On the way here, he had wanted the car journey to barely last minutes, but sat here now, looking at his small yet precious family snoring in the hazy light of the car, he couldn't care if it lasted forever.

* * *

The smell of coffee was thick in the air in the kitchen of number five, Marina Crescent. Yellow morning light mixed in with the aroma and cast a very morning-like feel to the room. A young man, Iruka Umino, sat at the table, looking over a newspaper idly while the coffee brewed. As his eyes flitted over the small and uniform text he frowned at all the bad news, did anything good happen these days? It was all '_Brutal gang attack!' _and _'Teen faces prosecution!' _or '_Murderer jailed!' _and_ 'Crime rates soar!' _His eyes searched for a more positive headline...'_Wakeboarding weasel!' _was the best the paper had to offer him. He closed it with a sniff and poured himself a mug of coffee.

"Why do you buy a newspaper if you're just going to frown at the headlines and close it again?"

He looked over the rim of his steaming mug to a man with floppy silver hair and a lazy voice. Kakashi Hatake looked sleepy and carefree...he _always _looked sleepy and carefree. Iruka sighed.

"You have to know what's going on in the world...why do you still read those books every day when you've read them a million times and know what happens already?" He replied, raising his eyebrow at the novel in the other's hands.

"They are so good that they can be read over and over, you need some entertainment when the newspapers have headlines like those." The silver-haired man explained, not once had he looked up from the pages of his book.

"I suppose." The owner of the house mused, taking a sip of the caffeinated liquid and gasping when it scolded his tongue. He glared as the novel-reading man chuckled; not quite believing the excuse for the laugh was that the story was currently at an amusing section. He rushed to the sink to nurse the tongue with cold water, fuming at his own carelessness, this seemed to happen nearly every morning and he still went and drank the coffee straight away!

Stood by the sink and feeling the numbing sensation the cold water was having on his tongue, Iruka admired the morning to calm himself down. The sound of birds could be heard coming through the glass window over the sink, early-morning sunshine warmly spilling through. The man watched amused as a tabby cat attempted to catch one of the birds on the lawn of his small yet lavish garden, the smaller creatures always a good few inches out of reach of the young paws. It darted off into the hedges as the birds grew tired of the game of chase and Iruka was reminded he would have to water the garden today or Naruto would be over later, poking round it and complaining that his greenery was too dry.

He jumped when the phone rang from the hall, snapping him and his settled smile out of peacefulness. For the first time Kakashi looked up from the novel, only one eye reaching Iruka's at the sink's, the other concealed by the wild hair.

"It won't be for me." He excused and the coffee scolded adult sighed, putting his water down to go pick up the phone. Yeah, the man at the table was right but he could have at least offered to go get it...

Iruka and Kakashi were housemates and friends. Iruka was a teacher at a local school and had lived in this house for several years. When his adoptive son had begun his relationship with Sasuke, Kakashi had evidently met the man. He had worked on the police force for several years and had lived alone a few streets away from Iruka. Having no family, he was used to solitude, though once Sasuke had started a relationship he had been mixing more with Naruto and Iruka. Naruto had been unhappy that Kakashi was living alone and insisted Iruka was also lonely after he'd moved out (something Iruka objected strongly to) and he'd suggested the two live as housemates. Kakashi had shrugged off the idea at first but a few months ago he decided living with somebody couldn't be all that bad and moved in with the younger man. He found the move amusing. Iruka was neat, slightly childish, caring and easily annoyed - he could see where Naruto got his quick temper from. He guessed he enjoyed poking at that temper, which was why he didn't answer the phone this particular morning. Iruka had given him one of those looks where you sigh with your expression and strode into the hall.

"Hello?" Iruka spoke when he pressed the phone to his ear, examining the tip of his tongue in the mirror hung on the wall of the hallway. A younger male voice answered loudly. "Oh hello Naruto!"

Curiously the silver-haired man, still at the table latched onto the conversation, of course continuing to read at the same time he was a good multi-tasker. Naruto didn't ring this early usually, this meant something had happened, which meant it could concern Naruto's partner, which meant it could concern him. Of course Naruto would ring before Sasuke ever thought to. He skim-read as his friend's voice continued.

"Yeah, I woke up about a half hour ago...yeah Kakashi's up too...nothing much, just getting ready for work...haha yeah...mhmm...are you okay, you sound excited over something? You haven't been drinking coffee have you?"

A smile crossed the face of the man listening from the table at the irony of the question.

"Okay, what is it?...yeah.................mhmm....hm...yeah-wait, what?"

There was a long pause in the hallway and the book in the kitchen was set down on the table by Kakashi, this sounded juicy...he listened more carefully.

"Y-you...Naruto is this a joke?! It's not very funny!...b-but when...why...stop messing around!"

There was another pause and some sighing, where the eavesdropping man decided Naruto must be arguing his case over whatever he'd done. There was another long break of silence form Iruka before he said something in a worrying tone, he must have had his hand over his mouth in shock as the voice was also muffled.

"Oh my god...you're being serious aren't you?"

There was a small pause and then a heavy thud, Kakashi frowned, turning before he hurried out of the kitchen. "Iruka?" He called before he rounded the doorframe and his mouth fell open a little in confusion when he saw his friend lying on the floor, out cold. Naruto's voice could be heard coming from the phone, shouting Iruka's name.

---

In a house a short while away, Naruto was shouting down the phone after his guardian had suddenly disappeared. After some failed attempts of catching the man's attention he shot a horrified look at his partner, who was sat on the couch.

"Sasuke!" He gasped "I think I killed him!"

Sasuke raised his eyebrows and submitted to his sarcastic side.

"What did you do that for?"

Naruto squeaked and grabbed his head in panic. He had never really grasped the concept of sarcasm, it was Sasuke's most deadly weapon.

"I didn't mean to! I think I scared him! He's not talking! What do I do!?" He jumped up and down impatiently and only stopped when a cry was heard coming from upstairs.

"You're on a roll today; you woke the baby up too." Sasuke commented, standing to go retrieve the crying infant, smirking secretly when Naruto groaned.

"The baby too!?" He hissed and swore, picking up the phone again. "Iruka! Iruka! Irukaaaaa!"

---

"Hey...Iruka?" Kakashi crouched and poked his housemate in the face firmly and after no reply he shrugged and picked up the phone. "Naruto?" He winced at the volume the blonde used to reply.

"Kakashi! Oh my god is Iruka okay!? Did I kill him!?"

"Calm down Naruto he's...currently unavailable...but he's okay."

"Phew...wait, what's 'currently unavailable'!?"

Kakashi sighed and found a comfier position against the wall, next to the phone table. "He passed out, what did you say to him?"

On the other end of the line Naruto fiddled with the thread on the arm of the sofa and looked around for Sasuke, who hadn't come back downstairs yet. "Umm...Sasuke wanted to tell you but he's...upstairs at the minute. Is Iruka really okay?"

Kakashi looked at the man lay on the floor and told Naruto to hang on a second. Silently he went back to the kitchen and filled the glass the man had been using before with fresh water, returning in under ten seconds. With a still blank face he tipped the glass and watched as the water hit his friend, who seemed to flinch and then realise what was happening and jump upwards with a shriek. Kakashi almost regretted his decision at the murderous look he received but it was short lived when Iruka seemed to remember to reason he had been covered in water.

"Naruto!" He gasped and scrambled round for the phone, picking it up off the floor where Kakashi had set it and thrusting it to his ear, shouting his sons name again.

Naruto breathed a sigh of relief as he heard the man's voice, quickly apologising for shocking him.

"Naruto! How can you just spring that on me!? How did this happen so quickly!? Why didn't you tell me you were going to do it?! Why did you do it more specifically!? How long did you even consider this decision as a couple!? It's only been a couple of days since we last spoke! This kind of thing doesn't happen that quick! Have you been keeping this secret all this time?! How long Naruto!? How long?!"

The blonde massaged his temples on the other end of the line and tried to put his brain back together before he attempted to answer all those questions in order. He realised it wasn't going to happen when he forgot even the first one and just mumbled a 'what?' into the phone, instantly regretting it when it set Iruka off again with new questions. "Look...it's just...calm-Iruka!...Would you just-...IRUKA!"

Watching and listening to the scene in front of him, Kakashi was now even more intrigued, wondering what Naruto and Sasuke had done. He had several thoughts: they had married, they had moved away, they had adopted. All three of these didn't sound like things Sasuke and Naruto would do. Sasuke wouldn't marry yet and certainly not adopt and Naruto wouldn't move away. Then again this was Iruka...they could have done something as simple as gotten a cat or a new job...

"Of course I'm happy for you!" The younger man whined. "It's just...sudden that's all! Why didn't you say something!?"

"I would have but things have gone so quickly for us that we didn't even consider anybody else yet...we were really tired and busy trying to make this happen. Seriously it has happened in just a couple of days." Naruto explained, turning when he heard the return of Sasuke, holding a sleepy baby in his magic cry-stopping arms. "Hey, put Kakashi on will you?"

The silver haired man watched as his housemate sighed and rubbed his eyes tiredly before sliding down the wall and handing the phone to him. "Honestly..." He mumbled. "Nothing they do should surprise me anymore..."

Kakashi took the phone curiously; glad he would finally be filled in on whatever news Iruka had been told. On the other end, Sasuke handed the baby to Naruto and smirked when she began crying again before he took the phone.

"Kakashi?"

"Yes."

"We have some news."

* * *

Kakashi had to admit he was surprised. Out of all the things he had been theorising, adoption had been one of the last on the list. Though, when Sasuke explained the reason it seemed more believable. He hadn't exactly told Kakashi everything Choza had said but the silver-haired man suspected it had to do with Itachi. Sasuke wasn't letting onto much, he never did, but Kakashi could tell he had a strong attachment to the child. He could tell from the way he had proudly described the way they had sped up the process and how he could feel the smile in his voice and the enthusiasm it carried. He hadn't sounded this genuinely happy about anything in a long time. So, instead of being overly dramatic and shocked like his friend, he simply gave Sasuke what he needed deep down, reassurance he'd done a good thing.

"Congratulations." He smiled when Sasuke finished the story, Sasuke didn't reply, there was a pause and Kakashi knew he had smiled. "Would you like me to explain to Iruka?" the brunette piped up at this.

"Explain what!? Did they tell you all the answers and not me?!"

Sasuke heard Iruka from his end of the line and told Kakashi it would probably be best but stopped him before he tried to say goodbyes.

"We want everybody to see her...tomorrow night, at our house."

"Okay, we'll be there." Kakashi told him, before they finished up the conversation. Iruka and Naruto spoke at the same time the moment the phones were hung up.

"What did he say?!"

* * *

I look down into the face of the baby in my arms and I'm smiling. She has feather textured hair that falls in a gentle frame around her face and tiny ears. Her eyes are large, deep and the colour of a rich 70% coca chocolate bar. Her nose is tiny, her lips miniature, everything about her is small and precious. Her scent is soft and newborn and I inhale it proudly, as I have done every day I've had her in my arms...that has been three days but there is more to come. Her fingers curl around one of mine and I feel the warmth radiate through me. She is mine, in my arms, I can do whatever I want to her. I want to love her. I want her to have what I never had. I won't be my brother, I won't run away. I want to give her love from two parents.

I turn as I hear you calling me from the kitchen, you have ramen in your hand and I smile to myself. You can make all the ramen in the world but can't sterilise bottles. You'll learn, I suppose, slowly. You ask me how the baby is and I look into her eyes. I can see myself in them, and that's how I always want it to be. I turn back to you after you insult me and fall onto the couch by my side, you're there for a second before you run up again, swearing because you forgot your chopsticks. I watch you turn round again yelling 'got them!' with a grin on your face.

"Moron." I sigh.

I never wanted to fall in love with you. I'm so glad I did.

* * *

Sasuke kissed Naruto's cheek and rose from the sofa carrying their baby, not seeing the inquisitive look the blonde gave him as he touched his own scarred face lightly and stared after the raven. He slurped his noodles and coughed as the juice burnt his throat a little.

"What was that for?" He asked, bemused by the sudden un-Sasuke type affection. The raven didn't turn around, just held the baby to his chest with one arm while he prepared a bottle with the other. "He's a housewife already..." Naruto giggled to himself under his breath as the Uchiha turned for a second with a docile expression.

"I need a reason now do I?" He sighed, waiting for the milk to heat up and walking back to the couch with it. "Oh, and I heard that." He added, squirting the bottle at Naruto, who shrieked as milk covered his face.

"EEK! Sasuke that's hot!" He put down his ramen cup and wiped his face roughly with his sleeve.

"Hm...guess that means the milk isn't ready yet. Thanks for letting me know." The raven smirked, sitting down and putting the bottle on the coffee table. Naruto glared at him and licked his lips, face contorting after he did.

"That tastes gross...how does she drink it all day and night?!"

"She's a baby, they're not fussy, Naruto. You probably used to drink the stuff too."

The blonde grabbed his ramen pot and held his chopsticks in his mouth, thoughtfully, before spitting them out and smiling as he stirred the pot with them.

"Yeah...when Iruka adopted me though, he got my juice cup and put his leftover ramen broth in it, then all I would drink was ramen broth or milk."

"Wow, how things have changed." Sasuke smirked, looking to the noodle pot in his partner's hands. Naruto's diet was made up mostly of ramen and milk. The blonde gave him a tactful look and laid the pot down to cool, resting his hands behind his head while he looked at the infant cuddled into Sasuke's chest. "How long do you think it will be before she can eat ramen?" He mused aloud.

"She will not be addicted to ramen like you...and she can't even eat solid food for another five months or so anyway." Sasuke answered with a disapproving expression.

Naruto snorted and leaned over to gaze at the child, smiling sadly. "I'm glad she gets to grow up here and not in an orphanage."

Sasuke lowered his eyes and felt a pang of sadness for them both, for them all. Each had shared the same unfortunate past. He raised an arm and laid it round Naruto's shoulders, pulling him down onto him so he was cuddled into the side of the Uchiha's chest that the baby wasn't occupying.

"What are you doing?" The blonde mumbled, voice muffled by Sasuke's clothes and ribcage, his voice vibrated in the man's chest and when he replied it went deep into his lovers skull.

"Hugging you."

The blonde smiled secretly and fiddled with Sasuke's T-shirt before wrapping his arm around his lover's lower stomach.

"The baby's making you soft." He sighed.

"No its not, I just have two babies to look after." Sasuke argued; smiling at the two he was cuddling. Once smelt of talc and newborns, the other smelt of ramen and bubble-bath.

"I'm not a baby!" Naruto whined.

"Yeah you are; you're my baby."

"Soft bastard..."

"Stupid idiot."

"I love you."

"...I love you too."

Naruto laughed quietly and let his hands wander about the bottom of Sasuke's T-shirt; fingers slid underneath it and pulled it up a little, revealing a flat stomach. Naruto grinned and lowered his lips to kiss it softly, liking how his lover's skin tensed at the touch.

"Hey don't kiss me there...I'm holding our kid." The Uchiha flapped, flicking the blonde mop of hair on his stomach firmly, the occupant of the blonde mess rising with a disgruntled expression before it softened as he held his arms out towards the baby. Sasuke wrinkled his nose and reluctantly handed her to him. He could have held her all day long and never grew tired of her.

The blonde smiled widely as he took her, telling Sasuke to stop fussing when he tried to explain how to hold her properly – he'd already told him about eight times already. He held her under the arms, in the air, her legs curling upwards as baby's legs did. She peered down at him with large curious chocolate eyes and bunched her fists. He grinned toothily at the infant and brought her down to his face, where she tried to grab his cheeks in her tiny hands.

"Oooooh Sasuke she's so cute!" He squeaked, rubbing noses with her and giggling when she smiled and showed all her gums. Sasuke was smiling at the sight, Naruto looked so natural with her, the blonde had a certain gift for caring for things. Whether that be a plant, an animal or a baby he was the same, his methods were messy, carefree and imperfect but they were loving, forgiving and rewarding. Sasuke could picture their lives a while in the future, the baby, who by this point would be around seven years old, whining for cookies. Sasuke would say no because she'd already had two and wasn't allowed another, their clever daughter would then ask her other father, who would go to give in but receive the Uchiha glare of doom and refuse their daughter a cookie too. Sasuke would turn his back with satisfaction and miss Naruto secretly handing their daughter a cookie and telling her not to tell Sasuke. This would happen several times a week. He couldn't wait.

The raven picked up the warm bottle and tested the temperature, deeming it safe he handed the bottle to his partner who gave him a surprised look. The blonde took it meekly and looked confused.

"Naruto, you put it in her mouth." Sasuke sighed and received a pouty glare.

"I know what to do!" He insisted and put the bottle to his daughter's lips, grinning in relief when she began to suckle it contently. "This is easy!"

Sasuke rolled his eyes and lay back on the couch for a brief rest, he'd not slept very well that night, afraid that he'd wake up to find his baby gone or to find it had just been a dream and he was waking up alone entangled in sheets and smelling of unwashed hair and coffee as he had been doing for weeks now. In fact he'd woken to quite the opposite; he was warmly entangled into his snoring partner and could hear a soft snuffling coming from the cot next to their bed. On closer inspection he'd found their daughter awake already and beginning to stir with hunger and boredom. His life was far from perfect but this morning it felt like it could be.

"Wait!" Sasuke started, eyes snapping open as he jumped over the back of the couch and into his office. Naruto, who had seen this sudden and odd display of activity for quite a while now, did not ask, just rolled his eyes at his daughter.

"Got an idea?" The blonde called, hearing shuffling of papers and pens. Inside the office, Sasuke picked a notepad from his organised shelf and laid his pen to the blank paper, only to stop, come down from his sudden high and sigh to himself.

"No...it was nothing." He grumbled, head falling onto the desk. _Like I could write that..._

"To you it was nothing, to anybody else that was like the release of Harry Potter or something!" Naruto snorted. "Hey, do I wind her now?"

Black eyes darted to his desk clock. "Yeah." He answered and fiddled with the corner of a page. His sketchbooks were messy, one of the few things he could stand being messy. When his brain cooperated, it projected a torrent of skilled plots, sketches and characters onto the pages. Occasionally inspiration would strike and he'd rush to the paper but in the last few months they had often been false alarms, he would deem his sudden ideas silly and the paper would go hungry.

A rattling of keys signalled the daily visit from Sakura, though this time the jangling was much more lively and they heard her shouting. She usually shouted anyway, they had given her a house key and she was allowed to let herself inside but after the last time she walked in without warning she wasn't quick to do it again. She claimed she was still mentally scarred. Her voice today was high and excitable and Sasuke prepared himself for the bear hug and the squeal, the latter he heard as soon as the sound of the door shutting finished.

"Sakura-Chan!" His partner smiled as their friend walked into the living room with her hands over her mouth.

"You got her!" She smiled with a shocked sort of tone to her voice. Sasuke came to stand in the doorway lazily watching the scene with a rare smile.

"We got her." He said and she turned to him with a motherly smile.

"Oh guys, I'm so happy for you..." She whispered, walking to embrace Sasuke, who for once gave the hug some genuine care, before she walked to constrict Naruto too.

"Here! Hold her!" Naruto squeaked as if it were the best idea in the world and held their daughter in the air towards Sakura, who took the baby and cuddled it into her chest. Sasuke twitched as it had become a natural reflex but he did not protest – Sakura was one of the few people he trusted. She kissed the infant on the head lightly and took the bottle from Naruto when he held it out, sitting on the couch to continue her feeding.

"She's lovely..." She gasped. "Who else knows?"

"Only Iruka and Kakashi so far, we plan on telling Jiraiya and Tsunade and surprising everybody else. Temari and Shika knew we were adopting but they don't know we've got her yet." Sasuke explained.

"When are you telling everybody else?"

"Tomorrow night, I've invited everybody over."

Naruto gasped as Sasuke predicted. "Not only is the bastard attending a social gathering...but he's organising one!?"

The raven rolled his eyes and removed himself from the door frame to join his family on the sofa, smacking Naruto across the back of the head as he went. "Don't swear in front of our daughter." He said, before flopping down on the couch. Sakura rolled her eyes, used to their old married couple antics by now.

* * *

That night came as a welcome blessing for Naruto, exhausted from the new duties of fatherhood, or motherhood, it may as well have been with the way Sasuke was treating him. After Sakura had left, the afternoon had consisted of feeding, changing, entertaining and allowing the baby to sleep. All four of these activities would have been more fun were it not for Sasuke's neurotic overly protective aura looming over his shoulder. There had been two occasions where Naruto had tried to take a swipe at him, only to end up throwing himself from the sofa because the Uchiha was too quick. The blonde found it annoyingly typical that Sasuke could be the embarrassing mother and yet some strong cunning genius at the same time.

With all the new activity that had took place that day, the sun flew past almost and it was night before they knew it, time for the baby to sleep...again.

"Sasuke," Naruto began as they switched off the lights and made their way upstairs.

"Hm?"

"How long is it gonna be before she does something other than eat, sleep and crap?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes at the question and opened their bedroom door carefully as he held the baby in his other arm. "You've got at least another few months of it."

Naruto groaned and watched as the infant was lovingly laid in her basket by her crazily cautious parent, flinging his bright green T-shirt off into a random corner of the room (sure to be picked up by Sasuke later and put in the washing basket). He crawled onto the bed and looked into the cot on the other side, smiling when he saw the tiny sleeping face soundly snoring away. "It's weird, I know she's ours but it doesn't feel like it yet, kinda..." He mused, gaining a slightly concerned or pensive look from his partner. He rolled onto his back and looked up at the raven. "I guess you have to get used to these things right?"

Sasuke seemed to think for a moment before a small smile graced his lips. "I suppose so." He answered, stretching before he pulled off his own clothes and went to the bathroom to brush his teeth. Naruto rolled again to look at the baby, running his fingers along the top of her thick black fuzzy hair and murmuring 'you smell good'.

"Hey..."

The blonde turned as he heard his partner and saw a threatening expression on his face, as if he was saying 'wake her and I'll kill you'. Naruto never took much notice of these kind of expressions anymore, not unless they were really serious or made during a time when he was lacking coffee and sleep. Right now, when his lover was stood in only a pair of dark boxers with a smouldering expression he was quite happy. "Hey sexy." He grinned and received an irked eyebrow from the raven, who crawled into bed and curled under the covers. Naruto switched out the little light on his bedside table and cuddled into Sasuke's chest, he smelt faintly of the baby. The blonde was ecstatic Sasuke was sleeping in the bed with him again, for a while he'd gone to bed alone and not noticed Sasuke coming up (that was _if_ he came up) in the early hours of the morning. The weekend had been nice, where they would go to bed together after tucking the baby in and wake up together. He liked having Sasuke as the first thing he saw in the morning, no matter what level of murder was in his eyes – Sasuke was not a morning person. The only quality time they had really spent in their bed before this week was mainly because Sasuke had emerged from his office, frustrated and raunchy, and dragged the blonde up to the bedroom to rid himself of the distraction. That was if they even made it that far, the sofa or even the floor seemed to have been far enough on some occasions, and there was that one time on the stairs...his back still sort of hurt from that. He liked being in their bed now, just cuddling, Sasuke seemed to have been pretty affectionate in the past few days thanks to the baby girl.

"Hey, Sex-uke?" Naruto whispered against his partner's ribcage, smirking when he heard the annoyed growl.

"Don't call me that."

Naruto looked upwards, mischievous smirk on his face and wound his fingers into raven hair; Sasuke already had his lips open for when they would connect a few seconds after. Two pairs connected softly and Sasuke moved his arm to wrap it around the back of Naruto's head, keeping him close. It was Naruto who deepened the kiss, rolling over on top of his partner and slipping his tongue into the moist opening he was so interested in. Sasuke responded by enthusiastically joining it with his, cupping Naruto's cheeks tenderly, feeling the darker-skinned hands running along his chest. His body arched on its own slightly when the fingers ran down over his boxers to his thighs and the man on top of him smirked into the kiss, suddenly taken over by his hormones. He moved his mouth down to the raven's throat, hearing a sigh when their lips broke contact and a small throaty noise when he clamped his onto Sasuke's neck. He moved them down again, nibbling at the milky white collarbone and licking a line down the middle of his chest, enjoying the small accidental sounds slipping from his lover's mouth. He pushed the covers down a little and kissed his way down the silky abdomen, taking in the forming scents and feeling fingers press his skull as they trailed through his hair. His tongue left its cavern to trace wet circles around Sasuke's navel and he bit softly underneath it, sucking his way down a little harder, a slightly more needy moan reached his ears and he grinned, blowing on the hot skin just above the rim of the black boxers his face was almost pressed up against. After a moment's thought he slipped his tongue just underneath the elastic and ran his fingers up the inside of a pale thigh, hearing Sasuke hitch his breath in anticipation. The suspense lasted a second before Naruto gave up teasing and mouthed the front of his boxers hungrily, feeling the body underneath him shudder.

"Hah! Ah...ahh...stop it! Stop...stop..." The raven suddenly gasped, pushing the blonde head up and receiving a confused and slightly offended look. They stared at each other for a few moments, Sasuke took in the flushed face and the lustful eyes of his lover, the soft panting...god he looked sexy...but...he looked at the cot next to them and sighed. "Not tonight." He said quietly, trying to sit up and hearing a whine.

"But why!? You never stop me!"

"Its...it's not you I just...I don't feel like it today, I'm tired." Sasuke excused, pulling the covers back up and avoiding Naruto's gaze as he dejectedly crawled back beside him, grumbling under his breath. "You didn't sound like you didn't want it a few seconds ago..."

Sasuke looked down a little in embarrassment; he knew they hadn't been spending enough quality time together the past month but... "I'm sorry, another night, okay?" He watched blue eyes peek up at him and some of the awkwardness left his face, how did this man go from sexy to adorable in a few seconds? And why on earth was he thinking about him using words like sexy and adorable anyway? It was the baby's fault...

"Fine." Naruto sighed, trying to sound upset but Sasuke knew he was forgiven, smiling when he was snuggled back into, already feeling sleepy when the steady streams of breath began to float over his chest. "Oh...and you're uke next time too."

The smile left his face. _Yeah, in your dreams Naruto...in your dreams..._

"WAAAAAAAH!"

A groan as emitted from both the men's mouths as their child broke the steady quiet of their snuggling. Sasuke got up to settle her, snapping at the blonde who was sitting up with a disgruntled face as he did. "See what you did!"

The look changed to one of shock and sarcasm. "Me!" He hissed, then pouted, humour behind his glum face as he sat back against the headboard. "I wasn't the one waking her up with all the whimpering..."

Sasuke glared through the darkness, rocking the child and trying to be gentle in his embarrassment. "I...do...not..._whimper_..." He growled, making Naruto grin, suddenly playful again as he adopted a mocking voice and sat up to pose in a provocative manner.

"_Ooooh Naruto! Ahhhhh Naruto don't stop! Ohhh goddd ahhhh_-UGH!" He grunted as a pillow flew from a pale hand and smacked him in the face.

* * *

.

.

_The warehouse echoed in the darkness of the newly set sun, soft clicks sounded in a steady rhythm as feet travelled along a rusty corridor towards the room they would soon find themselves in. The owner of the feet stopped in front of a metal door and ran his fingers over the handle softly._

"_Let the bloodshed begin, hn." He pushed the door open and a crowd of people gazed at him, he gave them a nod of acknowledgment. _

"_Deidara, glad you could finally join us." A man with flame coloured hair said tonelessly, watching as Deidara took a seat in the room, casually. His eyes narrowed as he was scolded by a red haired teenager with a dangerous air about him. _

"_I hate waiting for people, Deidara..." _

"_Well I apologise, senpai." He sighed stretching out in his chair and staring at the ceiling, admiring the sharp angles of the metal rafters."I had some trouble shaking off some of those undercover guys they set out to sniff around my base office...bastards got what was coming to them, hn."_

"_I hope you didn't do anything that would alert them of our hideout, Deidara?" The flame haired man asked, face suddenly one of concern. Deidara chuckled in a sadistic manner._

"_Of course not, Leader, there's nothing of them left to tell anybody about the incident...I will need a new base unit however..."_

_The impatient teenager from before sighed as the other members of the group set themselves in a circle for the meeting. "There is no need for them now anyway."_

"_Oh?"_

"_I will explain, now we are all present." Pain announced; standing and bringing the organisation to attention. "Today Akatsuki gathers all together, for the first time in seven years, the reason: the biggest goal since the assassination of the Ayaki village leader." A mutual silence ran through the room as Pain got serious. "We are to assassinate a much more vulnerable target, whose family members have already been eradicated, however," Pein's peculiar eyes narrowed slightly as he pinned a picture to a corkboard. "We have new problems." He moved aside and the Akatsuki turned to look at a particular member with jet black hair. "Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha." _

"_Homo pricks...I can't wait to show them divine judgement!" Hidan spat, running a finger along the curved blade in his hands._

"_They adopted the child yesterday, normally adoption of the child would not be a problem, however these two have particular contacts that can get in our way. Both have guardians and close friends in one of the few police organisations that can come anywhere close to us. We must work around that force and around past contacts; they know a few dangerous people, such as Gaara and Jiraiya..." The flame haired man stopped for a moment and pinned a picture of an older man up on the board, with a little more yet barely noticeable emotion than the others had seen in a long time. "Not to mention the two themselves. From inspection we can see Uzumaki is well capable of taking care of himself and is not to be underestimated, and the Uchiha..." His eyes along with many others turned once again to the dark haired man hidden away at the back of the group. "He poses some __**personal**__ problems that must be taken into consideration, Itachi."_

_The Uchiha remained as quiet and calculating as ever, dark eyes considered those around him and he nodded once. _

"_From here on, the plan comes into place, we split into our pairs, we gather information and we put that information into action. This current goal is working towards Kakuzu's objective and as Akatsuki we work towards members goals. There is no choice in the matter and poor work is not tolerated, we all understand our current mission, we start for real, tomorrow." _

_Akatsuki nodded as one and stood to travel to their respected rooms in the hideout, all apart from one. Itachi, stayed in the cool silence of the room, aftermath of murderous intent fleeting away and taking the excitement with it to leave an empty feeling. He stepped towards the board and let his eyes rest on a particular photograph. His brother did not stare back at him; the younger Uchiha's eyes were focused on the second, who he had his arms wrapped around, much brighter person in the picture, who was kissing his forehead. Itachi sighed inside the high collar of his long cloak. _

"_It seems we'll see each other soon, little brother."_

_. _

.

_

* * *

_

Tomorrow brought a flurry of business with it for Sasuke and Naruto, the party the two men had planned to celebrate their adoption was approaching and they were trying to organise things along with tending to the baby - something that happened in between Sasuke running in and out of his office all day when ideas struck him. Naruto didn't complain, this weekend he's actually _seen_ Sasuke most of the time rather than being on his own while his lover lived in the one very organised room.

Two weeks ago

"_Sasuke...come to bed, please?" Naruto begged, hesitating around the office doorway, watching as Sasuke stared down defeated at a blank sheet of paper. His hair was matted and there were dark circles around his eyes. He'd not come to bed in three nights. Naruto had worked up the courage to ask now, after a few mumbles and jokey complaints in the week, however he was still nervous. Sasuke was in a world of his own these past few days and it was scaring him a little. Not Sasuke himself, he could be smacked out of it, no not him, but, their relationship. It seemed the more Sasuke had deteriorated, so had they..._

"_Later." He mumbled, rubbing his temples._

_Naruto flinched, growing more impatient and fearful at the same time. His partner did not sound like himself. "Sasuke, please? You'll fall asleep at your desk again and-"_

"_Later!"_

"_I miss you!"_

_Sasuke shushed as Naruto lost his cool and shouted, stepping into the room a little more. "I miss you okay?! You've been in here for days and ignored me, I know it's important and you don't want me involved but you can at least look at me!" _

_The raven slowly stole a glance at the man in the doorway, face relaxing a little in regret when he saw his face was flushed as if he'd been crying. The blonde looked away and sighed, pulling the door closed as he began to leave. "You know what, forget it, I'm going to bed." It shut sharply and Sasuke flinched, hearing Naruto walk upstairs. _

_The blonde threw himself into bed and under the covers, sniffling quietly and bunching himself up when he heard the bedroom door slowly open. Sasuke shuffled in beside him and wrapped his arms around the bundle that was Naruto. _

"_I'm sorry." He whispered and the blonde sighed, not budging. "Naru? Please, I'm sorry for shouting." He nuzzled his nose into his lover's neck and the blonde sighed at the mention of his pet name, rolling onto his other side to curl into the chest he loved so much. __**His**_ _Sasuke was back_.

"_I'm sorry too." He replied, sharing a kiss lightly and enjoying the feel of Sasuke running his fingers through his blonde hair. He honestly hadn't meant to shout like that when he knew Sasuke was under stress but he'd missed this too much and he was worried about him._

"_Hey..."_

"_Hm?"_

"_I've missed you too."_

_Naruto smiled, giving the raven a comforting squeeze, affection was not rare from Sasuke but it wasn't frequent either and it wasn't usually this sappy, he was grateful. "I know." He mumbled into pale skin, kissing the part his breath had just touched. _

-

Sasuke was sat on the couch; as usual he was cradling the baby, bouncing her lightly to create a smile on her face. Sasuke looked a lot happier lately. Naruto watched from the kitchen with his own smile set in place, he climbed down from the bar stool and walked over to his family, laying his head down on the raven's shoulder, admiring the view down the front of his black dress shirt.

"You know another good thing about this baby business...?" He began, snuggling into Sasuke further as he put an arm round his shoulder.

"Hm?"

"I actually get to see you."

Sasuke paused before sighing and pulling the blonde closer, laying his lips onto the top of the mop of hair to kiss his skull. The three of them sat there as a picture, Naruto in one arm, the baby in the other. Naruto sat still for a few minutes before whining (Sasuke was surprised he'd managed a few minutes at all). "You're doing it again..."

"Doing what?"

"Treating me like the baby." Naruto mumbled, trying to push away but Sasuke smiled and pulled him back.

"How many times have I told you – you _are_ a baby."

Naruto continued to argue, much to his partner's amusement, until there was the first knock at the door. "Yay people!" He squeaked and Sasuke glared when he felt the baby jump slightly in his arm in shock, he looked at her worriedly but she looked more amused than upset. "Actually, you're more like a hyperactive four year old than a baby when I think about it." He mused aloud, knowing Naruto couldn't hear him anymore. He'd already bounded towards the door in excitement.

"Oh god it's the girls...prepare for squealing!" He shouted to Sasuke, who groaned quietly and ran his fingers through his daughter's gravity defying hair to make it more tufty and cute. It wasn't that he enjoyed squealing girls and babies...but girls squealing over _his _baby; was a different matter, he was already a very proud father. "Hey, come in!" In the next second Naruto was dived upon, yelping in surprise in the middle of a whir of blonde and pink hair. "H-Hey Ino, Sakura-Chan!" They kept hold of him in a tight hug, through the hair he could just make out Hinata looking concerned and Kiba laughing at him. "Hey, guys come on, there's enough of me for all the ladies, don't fight!" He joked, breaking them off so he could breathe and moving to hug Hinata and smack Kiba in the back for not holding them back.

"Come on man, where's the fun in holding them back!?" The canine looking man answered, walking in with Hinata as everybody took off their coats and shoes. "What's the big surprise for then? These two," He motioned at Sakura and Ino. "Haven't been able to keep still all the way here!"

"You told her!?" Naruto gasped at Sakura, who adopted a defensive presence.

"I had to! She wasn't going to come because she was working so I had to give her a good reason to skip work!" She argued and Naruto laughed.

"Well I hope you don't get in trouble with the hospital."

Ino snorted. "Nah, don't worry, Sakura talked to Tsunade for me, it's a shame she couldn't come, considering."

"Yeah, I've told her though and I'm sure Sakura will have told her all about it haha." Naruto shrugged.

"Considering what?! Told her what?! What are we here for?!" Kiba asked impatiently, Hinata gave everybody a sympathetic look. Naruto was about to put him out of his misery when a sudden squeak from the baby did it for him. "What the heck was that?!" Kiba exclaimed, trying to look into the living room but only seeing Sasuke, who waved. Hinata clasped her hands to her mouth.

"Was that a baby, Naruto-Kun?"

"A baby, what, you babysitting?" Kiba asked and the females, excluding the more patient Hinata, sighed and shook their heads. Naruto snorted.

"I guess you could call it 'long-term babysitting!'"

The confused look remained. "Long...term...?"

It was all too much for Ino. "Kiba! They've had a baby, how stupid can you get!? Hinata how do you put up with him?" She pinched the bridge of her nose as the dark haired girl giggled.

"I'm used to it I guess."

Kiba was currently wearing a half disgusted, half curious face and they stared at him, almost hearing cogs clicking, knowing what he was trying to figure out. "Kiba don't kill yourself trying to figure out how two guys had a baby - It's called adoption!"

Sasuke took this as his cue to walk over, carrying the amused child in his arms towards a crowd of three excited people and one still slightly confused one. Hinata gasped and smiled, walking forwards to take a batter look, as did Ino. The baby stared at them in awe, then reached out a tiny hand which it wrapped around Hinata's finger. "She's beautiful." The girl whispered. "How long have you been planning this?"

"Heh...a couple of days." Naruto answered and received a ludicrous look. "Hey I know it sounds crazy but it's true, it's all his fault." He motioned at Sasuke.

"You amaze me." Sakura sighed. "Let's all go sit down, I can't wait until everybody sees her!"

"Geez, anybody would think she was yours with your attitude!" Naruto laughed and received a violent yet loving smack to the back of the head.

They began making their way towards the sofas before they realised a presence was not among them and turned to see Kiba still stood by the door looking dumfounded.

"Dude, you okay?" Naruto asked and he snapped out of it.

"Y-you guys adopted!?"

"Yes!" They all shouted in unison and he flinched, walking over.

"Geez, no need to be that snappy..."

.

For the next few minutes they told their story, explaining how they stayed up all night to make the adoption process as quick as possible and how they pulled a few strings. Naruto went into detail about the baby's little quirks and how she would snore in her sleep and how Sasuke was a bastard for having magic arms and how it took him an hour to sterilise a bottle. The four guests (though Sakura was more like a permanent attachment to the household sometimes) listened and hummed, laughed and 'awwed' at all the right parts until that silence came when Naruto's string of things to tell began to thin out. Sasuke laughed slightly, commenting on how he'd just explained their extended weekend in ten minutes and asking everybody if they even understood him. They nodded and laughed, coming forward to hold her, Hinata went first and for the first time Kiba showed some interest, he seemed to have finally gotten over the shock. The canine man crouched in front of Hinata and let the child grab onto his fingers, commenting on how small she was and receiving sarcastic looks which went unnoticed.

"But guys...why this all of a sudden, I mean...it's not exactly something I'd ever expect you to do, that's why it confused me." He asked, still poking around the baby's outstretched fingers. Sasuke and Naruto looked to each other and the blonde went to talk but was stopped by his partner's hand.

"She...she's like us." He began and Naruto widened his eyes, not expecting Sasuke to actually open up, he looked at the raven curiously as he continued. "She's Haku and Zabuza's baby but...she's lost her whole family. We couldn't just leave her to grow up alone." He told them, not once breaking eye contact with the baby in Hinata's arms. '_Plus, my brother caused her family's deaths and it's up to me to make things right...' _He added in his thoughts, Naruto could read his mind and ran his hand over Sasuke's reassuringly. Their eyes met and they smiled, as did the others, Sakura moving forward to hug him.

"You guys did a good thing for her." She whispered, hugging Naruto too.

"WAAAAAAH!"

"Oh!" Hinata gasped as the baby suddenly cried, Naruto didn't miss the flinch in the man next to him and poked fun at it, earning a glare.

"Don't worry, she does that a lot, it's okay when you have Sasuke's magic arms!" Naruto reassured, coming to take the baby off the dark-haired girl attempting to hush the infant. The others looked at him, confused as he walked over to the raven, who was whining at him to stop being stupid. However the minute Sasuke wrapped his arms around the child and cuddled it, she stopped her cries and everybody laughed. "See, he acts like it's stupid but he's really a smug bastard..." The blonde pouted, jealous of Sasuke's special motherly skill. "Ooh the door!" Happily he ran to the front door again as the others rolled their eyes, Naruto's antics were always entertaining, just give him some alcohol and he was twice as funny, he always provided some good memories at Christmas.

"Good evening, Naruto." Spoke a red-haired man as the door was opened. He was pale skinned with pale eyes in the centre of thick dark circles. His face wore a passive smile and his body wore a red, high-necked top with black jeans. He stood with three others, a taller girl in a casual dress, holding a baby and wearing a wry look, who hit her husband on the head when his face remained on the cloudy sky instead of lowering to greet the household. He grumbled under his breath and was laughed at by the fourth member of the group, a tall man with shaggy brown hair and a grin on his face.

"Hey guys!" He nodded to the red head, "Gaara." He smiled, and then shared a bruising man-hug with Gaara's older brother, Kankuro the shaggy haired man. The sharp, cool woman with a soft centre he knew as Temari kissed him on the cheek and her husband, Shikamaru, waved a lazy 'hey'.

Their encounter with the child was much less eventful, Temari and Shikamaru already knew due to the car seat incident, they had guessed what this was about. Gaara was never a loud kind of person and simply congratulated them and Kankuro showed his soft side when he took the child and cooed at it playfully, but not before he had ran to Kiba and gave him a far more violent man-hug than the one he had shared with Naruto. What was more amusing was the encounter between Shogi and the new baby, both infants looked at each other curiously, the baby girl was held out by Sakura, whilst Temari sat Shogi opposite the younger child. Shogi reached out a small hand and tried to grab his new friend but his sharp mother kept him at a distance. Her boy had inherited her tough-love like attitude even at this age, he adored anybody he met but would waste no time smacking them in the head should they bore him or annoy him, something Temari could see the boy doing throughout his future older life too. Annoyed at the restraint, Shogi began uttering the warning squeals of tears but before he could, the younger baby also waved her arms out in front of herself and made contact with the baby boy opposite her. Shogi squeaked in delight and the two sets of parents shared a laugh, even Shikamaru taking a keen interest. The man was lazy but when anything concerned his son, he never displayed that sort of attitude.

Next to arrive was Lee, who had needed to stay behind writing some reports for work, his arrival was far more entertaining than the last. He came in calmly, saw the baby, then burst out into a torrent of loud monologues all of which spoke of 'youth' and 'blossoming'. The baby watched with as much of a shocked expression a baby could manage and then smiled at the loud, bright individual. Sasuke laughed at her view of the man and let him hold her, albeit under supervision, but Sakura told him to stop worrying and made him go and get drinks. Apparently he had to learn to trust people. He wasn't happy. He looked over his shoulder worriedly as he made everybody a drink and each time he received a glare from the pink haired girl until he finally sighed and got on with his assigned task, telling himself the baby was fine. Which she was, Sasuke just suffered the new-father feeling of paranoia. Sakura was the only person that could get away with bossing him around in his own house, the woman had her ways. He looked over at her, noticing she was now watching Lee with the baby, smiling in a proud sort of way as she traced patterns on her abdomen subconsciously. Sasuke's lips tugged up at the corners and he laid the drinks on a tray, walking back towards his group of friends. As he handed out the drinks, the door went again and this time he answered it, while Naruto was busy bragging about their child to Lee.

Neji and TenTen stood to greet them; Neji wore a calm smile, looking as meditative as ever, while TenTen smiled in her usual enthusiastic way.

"Hyuuga." Sasuke said in a cool manner and Neji narrowed his eyes, before both men smirked and the false curtness between them was lost. They had a small rivalry going - Neji had kicked his ass a few times in martial arts school that Sasuke used to go to and that Neji and TenTen ran. "This isn't the usual get together, I have to warn you, we have a surprise."

"A surprise?" TenTen asked curiously, Neji tried to look over Sasuke's shoulder but all he saw was Naruto bounding towards the door haphazardly, shouting 'HEY!' as he went. Eventually he reached them and flew into Sasuke, who made a strange strangled noise and blushed slightly as he lost his cool, trying to smack the blonde off him, but tanned arms had found their way tightly around his shoulders.

"Come and see the baby!" He exclaimed impatiently and both the new guests wondered if Naruto had been drinking.

"He's not drunk, he's been hyperactive all day..." Sasuke sighed as he read the minds of his friends, giving into the tight hold on him. "And he just spoilt my surprise."

"Uchiha..." Neji began after a few seconds pause. "You've never been very good at joking..."

"Likewise." They smirked at each other again.

"But I get the feeling this is serious."

"How clever of you."

"Neji Neji Neji Neji!" Naruto chanted, impatience growing worse, he ducked under his partners arm and grabbed the other dark haired man, trying to drag him inside. "Come and see! Come and see!" Sasuke smiled as Neji was also embarrassed by Naruto's antics and watched him be pulled inside and towards the living room. TenTen still stood where she was, looking thoroughly confused but all became clear when they had both met the new arrival a few minutes later. Their first encounter was much like everybody else's, shocked at first but instantly drawn in to the chocolate eyes of the baby girl and she was being bounced by TenTen five minutes later.

"Who are we still waiting for?" Naruto asked when he grew tired of the lack of arrivals.

"Shino couldn't come could he? He's working abroad. Iruka and Kakashi were coming around now, Iruka had papers to mark and Kakashi...I'll be surprised if he's here before midnight. Jiraiya is due about now too." Sasuke told him, on cue, the doorbell rang and the blonde's face split into a large grin. He'd been excited about his friends meeting the new baby but not nearly as excited as he was for his guardians. Sasuke excused himself and followed Naruto to the door, holding their child, and stopped the excitable male form throwing it open, instead he opened it to avoid somebody ending up in casualty.

"The Gallant Jiraiya has arrived! How are you guys doing?! And-oh...who's this?" Boomed a large, white-haired man as soon as the door was open, stopping when he noticed the baby staring at him and turning his showy voice to curiousness.

"Take a guess!" Naruto grinned, hopping from foot to foot with excitement. Sasuke congratulated himself on deciding _he_ was the one who would hold the child. Jiraiya looked at the child quizzically, crouching to get a better look at her, she stared back, wide-eyed.

"Well it isn't Shogi-kun, considering this is a little lady, I assume, from the pink dress she's wearing? You minding someone else's kid?"

"You_ could_ say that! We ad-"

Sasuke smacked a hand over Naruto's barely contained mouth quickly and rolled his eyes at the lack of self control he was witnessing. "Take a closer look." He sighed, holding the baby in the air under her arms. She dangled comfortably, unnerved by the position due to the gentle magic hands encircling her tiny torso. Jiraiya squinted as the baby took a closer look at him, her legs still bending in a very foetal like manner. She was only very young but Sasuke had taken many close looks at her and there was no doubting her true parents. She had Haku's large chocolate eyes and her hair was very alike to the way her father's had been, yet softer and fluffier. Her lips were full and pink like her mothers and her eyes full of life like Zabuza's had been. Jiraiya seemed to be putting her appearance together in his head, Sasuke hoped he would hurry and figure it out before Naruto burst next to him.

"Oho!" He gasped suddenly, making the baby jolt in Sasuke's arms but she remained silent, if only a little startled. "She isn't!?" He whispered in surprise, a little quieter when the baby's eyes widened in uncertainty. "Haku and Zabuza's?"

Naruto attempted to talk again but Sasuke kicked him as his arms were occupied, the blonde whined and glared at his lover, who paid him no attention and sucked the child back into his warm chest. Jiraiya seemed to be trying to figure out a connection between the baby, the invitation and Naruto's excitement and Sasuke, no longer being able to take the aura of confusion and excitement around him all at once, put both men out of their misery. "We adopted her a couple of days ago."

Jiraiya's mouth fell open in shock before he closed it again and waved his arms around, pointing at Sasuke partly disgruntled, partly confused and mostly dumbfounded – the Uchiha couldn't help but notice the alikeness between Naruto and his older guardian. "Wait, wait, wait a second! _Sasuke Uchiha_ adopted a baby?!" The raven in question let his face fall into a flat expression, everybody he'd told had said something like that, did it really seem that unlikely for him to do something kind or caring once in a while?

"It was _his_ idea!" Naruto squealed, pointing at the raven excitedly, as if he couldn't believe it either. Sasuke was getting a little peeved at all the jabs at his usual coldness and pointed fingers.

"Okay okay I get it, I'm usually a heartless cretin, thanks, can we please move on?" He grumbled and elbowed his lover when he tried to go into a rant about how he never meant to suggest he was heartless and that he was in fact quite the opposite due to many reasons Sasuke didn't want to discuss at this present moment in front of Jiraiya, stood on their doorstep. "Meet your new...granddaughter or...great granddaughter or whatever you want her to be." Sasuke announced, holding out the child to the man, who looked nervous but took her in his arms. Jiraiya was very similar to Naruto in many ways, which was why Sasuke deep down fully trusted him with their daughter and was proud to have him as one of her guardians.

"Haha you're a great grandfather now?! All these years calling you 'old pervert' and now you really are _**old!**_" Naruto laughed as they made their way inside, sniggered at by Kiba as Naruto commented loudly on his guardian's new family status.

"How many times have I told you to not call me old pervert in front of people!?" Jiraiya hissed, then thought about the title. "I wouldn't have really considered me your grandfather anyway, I don't feel old enough...I've always been a godfather. I suppose Iruka has taken the 'grandfather' title already? Where is he anyway?"

"Not here yet, should be soon, along with Kakashi." Sasuke told him.

"Ah good, I have a new book to give to him." The man announced, waggling his fingers in the infants face, she watched them move in front of her in a childlike daze. Sasuke groaned at the news.

"Don't...he'll be more excited over that than the baby."

"Of course he won't!" The white haired man argued. "And he's a 'grandfather' too isn't he? That's two slots taken!"

"Don't worry," Naruto began to reassure; the room looked to him as he spoke up with a proud smile. "She can just call you 'old pervert' too."

"SHE MOST CERTAINLY WILL NOT!"

A knock from the door interrupted the loud laughter that ran throughout the room from Naruto's suggestion. Naruto ran to open it, followed by narrow eyes as Jiraiya asked Sasuke if Iruka and Kakashi already knew about her.

"Yeah, we rang them yesterday, Naruto wanted to surprise you though, we thought we'd ring Iruka first, in case he had a heart attack in front of everybody if we surprised him now." The raven looked up with a smirk as he saw his and Naruto's adoptive fathers stroll into the living area, well, _Kakashi_ strolled. Iruka seemed to be having difficulty putting one foot in front of the other. Sasuke grimaced and decided he'd better get this over with quickly. Jiraiya handed him the baby and he walked over to their guardians.

"That's her?" Iruka squeaked as Sasuke neared, pointing to the pink bundle in his arms, the raven nodded and Kakashi moved over to them curiously. He then positioned himself behind Iruka as Sasuke gingerly held out their child for Iruka to take. The room seemed to hold their breath, all very aware of Iruka's neurotic and easily provoked emotions. Sasuke was on edge himself, ready to lunge out and grab his daughter, should Naruto's father pass out on them again, Kakashi was prepared for that too and was ready behind his house mate. Naruto for once was quiet, which was...well...a miracle. The brunette's shaky arms took hold of the baby and he looked down at the child, face in the same expression of nervousness as it had been the whole time he had been here (and according to Kakashi the same since the phone call a day earlier). They all paused, waiting for Iruka's reaction, Kakashi taking his job seriously and even holding his arms out in case of the expected collapse; many years of police work did that to a person's carefulness. Iruka rocked the baby once, Sasuke flinched, twice, Naruto began to smile, and then he looked up with a new expression of awe and confusion, one Sasuke had seen many times in the past couple of days..._if he says one thing about me-_

"I still can't believe _**Sasuke **_adopted!"

"AGAIN?! Does **everybody **seem to think I'm incapable of love?!"

* * *

It was a while later that everybody had settled into the cosy house, sprawled out on the sofas and the floor together. The house was fairly small, it didn't need to be huge as only Sasuke and Naruto had ever lived there until now, though everybody had managed to find a spot in the living room. Sakura was comfortably sat in Lee's lap on the couch, Hinata was curled up to Kiba on the smaller chair, Temari sat and watched her husband and Ino entertaining Shogi on the floor. Laughing with Kiba, on a chair pulled in from the kitchen, was Kankuro, watched by his younger brother from a chair on the other side of the living space beside Naruto. The blonde was proudly discussing his new father skills with Jiraiya and Iruka while Sasuke sighed at his adoptive father, who was joining into random conversation whilst reading the book Jiraiya had surprised him with. Everybody had got talking, mainly about the baby but that led onto conversation about recent events and gossip and situations. They used to all gather a lot, all getting together for somebody's birthday when they could or having barbecues in summer. However, with autumn fading into winter, they hadn't met up in a while and everybody was busy catching up with the friends that they didn't talk to every day. More than once a mention of the baby's name had come into conversation and each time Sasuke would grimace, guilty that the perfect name he was searching for hadn't cropped up yet.

"How about Akiko?" Ino suddenly piped from across the room and Sasuke gave the name a moment's thought. After learning they were looking for the right name, people had been suggesting different ones all night to them. Some were very nice names but Sasuke just knew that when the right one came along that he'd know straight away.

"Akiko's a nice name!" Naruto enthused, looking thoughtful. "It means 'autumn child' doesn't it? We did get her in Autumn Sasuke, it sounds nice _and_ it makes sense!"

"Yes, it's a nice name...but...it's not _the_ name." Sasuke decided, shrugging his shoulders as he watched Naruto carry the baby over to play with Shogi, who had taken quite a liking to the infant.

"Well I hope '_the'_ name comes along soon...we can't just keep calling her 'the baby'."

"I know." With another sigh, the raven stood, offering everybody another drink and travelling to the kitchen with his orders. He stood contemplating names at the counter for a few moments, stirring the tea that Hinata had asked for, when out of habit he turned to glance back at his daughter, jumping out of his skin and spilling the hot tea onto his hand when Kakashi turned out to be stood less than arms length away from him silently.

"Ack!" He gasped, waving his hand around madly and running to the tap when the burn did not lessen, shooting his guardian a dirty look as he turned to the sink. "What the fuck Kakashi?! Are you trying to give me a heart attack?! I move for one fucking second and you sneak up behind me like a fucking ninja and burn my hand! What the hell did you do that for!? Shit that hurt..."

"I'd keep it under the water longer Sasuke-Kun...burns keep cooking under the skin for a while." The silver haired man simply said, ignoring his son's ranting and the second dirty look he was given. Sasuke wet a cloth with cold water to shut his guardian up and wrapped it on his hand, turning with a sigh. "What?"

"Glad to see you've calmed down." Kakashi smiled, enjoying the rolling of the Uchiha's eyes, ah he was so easily riled up, just like Iruka. "I just came to help you carry drinks."

"Oh." Sasuke glanced at the man, he'd been expecting something more than that.

"Why, did you want to talk?" Kakashi mused aloud.

"No...I just thought...never mind. You can help make a new cup of tea seeing as you made me spill most of this one." Sasuke mumbled, emptying the spilt cup into the sink and drying it off. Kakashi went about the task, suspiciously watched by the younger man in the kitchen, though no ulterior motive came and Sasuke was surprised when he found all the drinks made with Kakashi ready to help him carry them.

"You look lost, Sasuke-Kun, are you sure you didn't want to talk about something?" Kakashi hummed in a concerned tone of voice, Sasuke looked away quickly, putting the cups onto trays.

"No I already said I didn't...I thought you did..."

"I just mentioned I was here to carry drinks, however you seem to be troubled about something so maybe you were the one who really wanted to talk and are using me as an excuse due lack of social skills."

Sasuke mentally eye-twitched. _Lack of...social...grrr..._

"You're doing that thing aren't you!?" He exclaimed, Kakashi feigned shock.

"What thing, Sasuke-Kun?"

"That...that _thing!" _He babbled, "Where you come over and start a conversation about one thing and then somehow you make me talk about other things without me realising!" He'd never really known how Kakashi did 'the thing'. Kakashi just had a way of getting people to talk about things they would usually keep to themselves and worry about. Sasuke had never really been a social person and often kept worries and thoughts to himself during childhood, Kakashi was very good at making him talk without him realising. However with age the raven gained experience and was always waiting for Kakashi to use 'the thing' to make him speak. Despite the fact he could sense it being used, he still ended up talking and it utterly baffled him.

"I am not using any technique to make you speak, however you are speaking and I am replying to your accusations so I would say we are having a conversation fuelled by you." Kakashi insisted happily and Sasuke groaned frustrated.

"Sneaky bastard..." He huffed under his breath, "You want me to talk about the baby, right?"

Kakashi folded his arms and leaned back against the breakfast bar. "I already said I just came here to help you with drinks, and you have just brought the baby into conversation so I'd say you were talking about the baby so if you wish I will also talk about the baby and then yes it would be a conversation about the baby, brought on by you."

Sasuke just let his face fall to exasperation. "I hate you."

"Now now, don't say that. What were you saying about the baby?" Kakashi smiled, Sasuke sniffed and looked awkward, staring at the tiles on the kitchen wall. He'd never really been good at these sort of conversations. Family ones...ones that involved his feelings...

"I wasn't saying anything." He grumbled, and then his features softened a little. "But...she's...nice though, isn't she?"

"She's very nice. You seem to be very protective of her."

Sasuke looked over the man's shoulder and saw Naruto bouncing their daughter up and down in one arm with Shogi on the other. Both babies were smiling, Shogi squealing in delight as their parents laughed at the innocence. Without realising it, smile snuck up on Sasuke and embedded itself onto his lips.

"It's nice to see you smiling again, Sasuke-Kun."

The raven started as he realised the pissed off look he was meant to be displaying had been wiped out by the sneaky smile caused by his daughter. Since when had _Sasuke Uchiha _got all gooey over babies, jeez next he'd be cooing over little puppies...

_No, let's not get carried away..._

Once his pissed off expression was back, Sasuke looked his parent in the eye that wasn't covered by fringe and shrugged before looking away again, picking at the counter top and trying to concentrate on the patterns in the marble work.

"You appear to be fidgeting, Sasuke."

"I'm not!" He shot, sharply drawing his hand back from the counter and tucking his arms into a defensive cross. He couldn't understand why this conversation felt so awkward, Kakashi didn't seem to feel like it was, why just him?

Kakashi stared at his son, backing himself into a dark corner where his emotions were almost unreachable; he decided he may as well just go for it. "Now I wonder why you'd be fidgeting, maybe you think you rushed into adoption too fast?"

Sasuke shot him a glare and Kakashi kept his smile in his thoughts, that was easier than he'd thought. "I do **not **think that." The raven growled. "I wouldn't have pushed it quicker if I wasn't definite about my decision."

"Well I wouldn't blame you if you got a little caught up and confused, it _was _a very quick choice to make in such a short time."

"I didn't get confused! I knew I wanted her and I didn't care what anybody else thought. Or what they think now for that matter..."

Kakashi mused about how to continue, leave it too long and Sasuke would realise he was letting things slip and go silent for the night, too quick however and the wrong thing slipped out, he'd get angry and do the same. "What does Naruto think?"

Sasuke flinched and turned away from his guardian, laying his elbow on the marble top and resting his head in his hand. Kakashi stiffened, wondering if the man had realised, but relaxed when he tried to talk, voice coming out a lot quieter and reminiscent of his inner bundle of worry.

"Naruto is...he...Naruto loves her too." Sasuke answered nervously, annoyed that Kakashi was making him feel this way. The man always drew out worries from inside his chest that he didn't even know he had until they spurted out of his mouth and into the open air. He kept everything locked up, that way it couldn't hurt him, or so he thought. However worries were worries and despite the lock up, they were still there inside him. He used to ignore them for as long as possible and hope they would disintegrate, however, they would just build up and explode inside him and he'd end up in a childish rage, a complete mess. Kakashi always tried to draw them out prematurely and Sasuke hated it when they began to surface in conversation, it made him feel guilty, light headed and anxious, weak feelings that he didn't like to associate with himself. He's rather ignore them to the point he didn't even realise they were there, only appearing in nightmares deep on his subconscious, ones that Naruto never got told about, and yet another reason Sasuke kept himself awake for hours into the night.

"Yes, Naruto does appear to love her, though he must have been shocked when you told him." Kakashi said quietly, aware of his son's nervousness.

"Hm...he was." Sasuke agreed, remembering how Naruto thought he was joking for a while. When Naruto had heard about her though, he'd automatically agreed.

_What if he hadn't though? You would have still adopted her straight away, right? Are you sure he's not just acting like he's happy for your sake?_

The raven shut his eyes and began pushing the automatic thoughts into a corner. God he hated this, where had they come from all of a sudden...from inside a cage in his chest that appeared the minute he'd learnt about the baby, that's where.

"Though I'm sure he's happy now, he's always happy if you are. You seem to be happier though Sasuke-Kun. Naruto tells me you aren't keeping yourself in your office like you used to. Glad to hear you aren't worrying about your job as much." Kakashi continued quickly, aware of what Sasuke was doing, shutting himself off, not if he could help it...

_I __**am **__worrying about my job...I've hardly been trying to write...what if I can't. What if I can't get enough money and sustain the income...what if it affects Naruto and the baby...should I have adopted her in this situation? What if I ruin everything? _Sasuke's thoughts hit him one after the other, feeling a short pang in his chest with each one that ran through his head. "What if I've ruined everything?" The question came as a whisper so quiet that had Kakashi not trained his ears to pick up tiny sounds vital for his job in the police force; he would not have heard them. Sasuke was half hoping the man wouldn't but somewhere inside he knew he would have.

"Now Sasuke," The man began, smiling when his son began to open up. "How have you ruined anything? You and Naruto seem to be very happy with your new baby."

"For now!" Sasuke snapped, not able to cover the worry in his tone. "What about a couple of months or years from now when I haven't been able to write a thing and we can't afford to live like we used to?! What if Naruto leaves because I've fucked everything up and takes her with him!? I forced him into adoption and I'm forcing him into another job and I can't even control my own career..."

Kakashi sighed with a small smile, finally getting to hear his son's worries, Sasuke was noticeably frustrated, maybe shocked at his own confessions. As a child the raven used to lock himself in the bathroom and refuse to come out. Kakashi had to try every technique, often spending hours outside the bathroom door, many spent in silence, just trying to get the boy to talk. When he was eventually let inside, the boy was always found curled into a ball in the bath tub, head tucked into his knees. Kakashi would sit on the edge of the tub and listen to the Sasuke's muffled confessions begin to come out. It was a lot harder when he was a child, he was in the dark void he'd created for himself almost all the time due to the recent suffering he'd experienced with his family. It was a lot harder but Kakashi always managed to get the boy to lift his head , face bone dry, for a young child, Sasuke seldom cried, he always said crying was for babies. When he'd look up at Kakashi though and the man stretched out his arms for Sasuke to crawl into, the boy couldn't help the tears that escaped from his eyes and flooded his face. For the next half hour, Kakashi would have the young boy crying on his shoulder as he carried him around, consoling him gently until he fell asleep out of exhaustion and let the man tuck him into bed. Free of the pent up anxiety, Sasuke always appeared noticeably happier the next day. The raven was now twenty five but Kakashi still consoled him and still managed to pull out that inner crying child from the adult, it was all part of being a father. "Sasuke," The older man said gently. "Naruto loves you, he would do anything for you and would be grateful as long as he has you happy and in his life. For the past few weeks he's been upset because he's had to see you hurting yourself and in the past few days he's been relieved because you are the happiest you've been in a long time. He would never leave you." Sasuke's shoulders loosened up slightly but he remained facing away. "As for your job, Sasuke everybody has trouble at some point in their lives and trouble is sorted out one way or another, it's just the way life is. If anything, this adoption seems to have helped you, it's made you happy and if being happy means taking a few more weeks out of writing then that's what you do. And not that it's going to happen but should you begin to get lost then you have a whole load of people here who will not think any less of you. Naruto will still love you, your daughter will still adore you and you will still manage because you're a family now. Besides, don't think for one second me and Iruka won't help you out, I'm always going to be here for you and Iruka see's you as part of the family too and he won't let you go to ruin."

Kakashi quietened and watched as the raven slowly re-adjusted himself, first taking his head from his hands and then straightening up to stare out of the window. The silver-haired man watched the back of his son and stood quietly, letting a smile grace his lips. "I'm proud of you for saving that baby, you know, and I know, that you're going to figure another manga out and it's going to be the best one yet because that's what you do. You stumble along the way but you always manage to come out better than you were, I have faith in you." It took a few more seconds but finally Sasuke turned back to face him and just like he did as a child, he raised his head with the same lost expression and looked his father in the eye. The raven did not cry anymore and there was no rushing to Kakashi to become a permanent attachment for the next half hour, however, he did give a nod and shuffled his feet awkwardly. They had not done this in a long time so he wasn't sure what to do. "I love you, you know that."

That shocked him, the raven looked up and locked his obsidian eyes with silver ones, Kakashi would always say that to him as a child when he got upset and for a second, he felt the child within him stirring in his stomach. "Yeah." He mumbled, a little embarrassed, he was not used to saying 'I love you' to anybody but Naruto. He hadn't said it to Kakashi in a long time. "I..." He coughed oddly. "...you too."

Kakashi smiled, Sasuke even saying that much meant a lot and it didn't come easy. He took a step forward automatically and so did Sasuke, both wondering if they were moving in for a handshake or a hug. Kakashi, thinking a hug would be all too much, went in with the handshake and the pat on the back, Sasuke, thinking he would let Kakashi have his family moment, actually decided to go for a quick hug and both decisions ended up causing the men to awkwardly collide and hesitate when they came to put forward their actions. Kakashi almost jabbed his son in the stomach, who opened his arms, then noticed Kakashi's hand and tried to put them down quickly, but Kakashi noticed and opened his arms as Sasuke out his down. There was a few more seconds of confusion before both men let out an exasperated laugh and grabbed each other in a tight hug, grinning at their own mishap. "Thanks." Sasuke whispered and Kakashi squeezed the younger man, patting him on the head to let him know it was okay. Their moment lasted another couple of seconds before both guys became embarrassed at the display of affection and coughed awkwardly, breaking apart and both mumbling nonsense about drinks and keeping people waiting, though both had placid smiles on their faces.

* * *

"Take your time!" Sakura gasped in fake annoyance when Sasuke handed her the drink she'd asked for, though she winked to let him know she'd seen his and Kakashi's talk and or hug. Sasuke bit the inside of his cheek awkwardly and coughed before passing Ino her drink, shooting a wry smirk at Sakura's rolling eyes.

"Pass us a tray." Naruto commanded and Sasuke warned him out of habit to not spill it before handing it to him, the blonde pulled a tongue before taking his drink off and handing the others theirs. Gaara's was the last one on the tray and he handed the red-head his green tea, before motioning for him to follow. "Here, bring it with you - I wanna show you the baby's room."

Gaara nodded silently before standing and following Naruto up the stairs towards the little girl's room. Those left in the living room watched curiously as the two men left.

"Where are they off to?" Kankuro asked and Sasuke smiled as he saw the last of Gaara go out of sight.

"Naruto's just having a talk with Gaara." The raven told him and looked at Sakura thoughtfully, who blinked back at him with a questionable look. "I need to talk to you too, come on." He said and stood, Sakura shrugged, leaving the baby with Temari, and took her drink with her as they walked to the back of the house and out of the back door.

---

In the baby's bedroom Naruto was pointing out all the various little decorations and cuddly toys to his friend as the latter stood and appreciated them all, sipping tea quietly. Gaara's eyes followed the blonde blur around the room, blinking as his friend zipped from item to item, commenting and laughing. Naruto was an inspiration to him, he was bright, happy, blunt, beautiful. His eyes and his voice and his rash ways always brought out the best in people somehow. Somebody could be wishing their life away and Naruto would come along, a total stranger, and turn everything upside down to the point that person would be gasping for breath and clinging to the life they tried to throw away. Naruto connected to people, showed them their faults, forgave them and handed them a second chance. When people refused his help, like Sasuke, when he had run away. He chased them down again and again until they were the person they'd always had the potential to be. He breathed light and life into everything, he was a beautiful person with a deep, kind heart and what's more, he understood Gaara.

"And this is her favourite, Sasuke wasn't going to let me buy it, the tight bastard, but I managed to get him to let me. Then he said I looked like it! He's weird sometimes..." Naruto piped, startling Gaara slightly when a soft orange object was place into his arms. Pale green eyes looked down at the object, which turned out to be a plush fox. He placed his tea on the changing table and traced the whiskers on the fox plush before looking up at Naruto, who was widely smiling at him. He decided Sasuke was right, Naruto did bear resemblance somewhat to a fox, there were similar features, his scars did not help. Gaara raised a hand and caused Naruto to blink confusedly when his pale hands traces the faint lines on his cheeks with a hit of a pained expression. "Gaara?" He questioned, and the boy removed his hands, handing back the plush.

"She is very lucky." The red haired man said calmly, glancing around the room and back to Naruto, holding the orange fox.

"Hmm..." Naruto hummed, looking down at the floor and picking at the ears of the fox. "I'm glad we adopted her, she won't ever have to grow up in an orphanage, we both know how much they suck, huh?"

Gaara watched the blonde as he smiled sadly at the floor, before the expression was switched off and the bright cheerful one was back. "Well she has us now and we're a family so everything is fine!" He chirped, nodding at his own statement proudly, he was always trying to be happy, not liking to show the part of him that still felt pain.

"You can show it." Gaara told him quietly and the man frowned in confusion.

"Show what?" He asked.

"This." Gaara said, taking the blonde's hand and placing it to the scars on his cheeks. "The pain. I know it anyway."

Blue eyes softened and he lowered Gaara's hand, squeezing it and smiling at the man "Thanks, Gaara." He whispered, before letting the hand go and genuinely he felt better. Every time he showed pain, Gaara would take his hand, it was always something they had done and something that they had carried with them from their childhood.

Naruto had been at an orphanage since the day he was born. His father was highly respected in the village he had lived in and was a member of the police force, however he was shot by an escaped murderer he and his team had been trying to capture. On the night his mother went into labour, there were severe complications, her uterus had ruptured and caused severe internal and external bleeding. It was sudden and unexpected and the doctors tried their best to save both mother and child, however the mother died from losing too much blood and Naruto was just barely saved by some miracle. After that he had been raised in the orphanages, and he had _hated_ every second of it.

When he was very young, the carers wouldn't tell him about his parents. They told him his father had been a police man and that his mother had died but he never knew it was due to his birth. The news was kept from him under advice of child psychologists who thought telling him that when he was so young would only make him feel guilty and damage him. The news was never kept from the rest of the world however and the other children used to stay far away from him. They were young and didn't understand much about uterine rupture, in fact they didn't even know that was why his mother died. All they knew was that his mum died because she tried to give birth to Naruto and the avoided him like the plague, fearing that they too would die if they got too close. Rumours only intensified when they learned his father had died the same night as his mother. Everybody used to say he was cursed, children called him 'monster', the older ones spat at him, bullied him and stole his things. The orphanage only had a few carers at the time so their attention had to be divided among all of the children and despite the fact Naruto craved attention and love, it was never given to him. He suffered a cruel lonely childhood and at the age of five he began trying to gain people's attention by different means. Instead of trying to be nice, he'd be loud and disruptive. He would play up in every class and start fights and cause trouble. It was the only time people would look at him and acknowledge he was there, even if it was for different reasons than he'd wanted.

He found Gaara when the boy was transferred over to Naruto's orphanage from one in another city. The rumour of a new child spread quickly through the dorms of the large building and Naruto watched from his window on Gaara's first day. What he saw was a small red-headed child emerging onto the school yard at break time and not one child would come anywhere near him. They followed but kept a few metres distance at all time. The boy sat on the swings and rocked himself as the other kids stood round and shouted things at him, whispering to each other maliciously. Curiously Naruto ran downstairs and out into the yard, the children scattered when he came near. The blonde moved to the swing set beside the red haired boy and peered at him without hesitation. The red head glared back and Naruto tipped his head.

"Who are you?" He asked, looking closer at the boy, he was a little shorter than him, had dark circles round his pale green eyes like a racoon and shaggy new-brick coloured hair that fell around his face. He did not answer for several minutes, as if he wasn't used to talking.

"Sabaku Gaara."

"Why will nobody touch you?"

"I'm a monster." The young red head watched for the blonde's reaction, he had been surprised there was a child brave enough to come and talk to him, though when he asked who he was he guessed he didn't know anything about him. When he told Naruto that he was a monster he waited for a reaction similar to the other children's, a look of disgust or fear, a taunt, a hasty retreat. The little blonde before him however...smiled.

"Me too." He said

From that day on Naruto stuck to Gaara like glue and when the carers tried to tell the blonde that Gaara was 'special' and had problems, Naruto took no notice, everybody here had problems. When they told him Gaara sometimes couldn't control what he did and hurt people, it only encouraged him to try and help the boy. He was just so excited that he'd finally found somebody who shared the same curse as him, who knew how it felt to be called monster and to be avoided and hated.

One day, Gaara hurt another child, Naruto wasn't there at first, he'd come out for break early after being sent to the head masters office again and decided he didn't want to go. On the yard he ran towards the red hair that he saw, but stopped when he saw the boy fall to his knees and a girl lying on the ground unconscious.

"Gaara...Gaara! Gaara what happened?!" He screamed, running towards the boy, noticing he had blood on his hands and stopping sharply. "Gaara! Did you hurt her?!"

"I told you I'm a monster!" The red head screamed, it was the first time Naruto had heard the boy use a voice as fierce as that, he clutched his head and began screaming. Naruto began to panic, not knowing what to do.

"Stop it!" He shouted, not liking the sound of his friend's screaming, he didn't sound like Gaara, it sounded like someone who was being hurt. "Stop it! Stop it!" Gaara raised his fists to hit the girl again. "STOP IT!" Naruto screamed, diving on the boy and hitting him as hard as he could. The red head rolled away and looked shocked before he ran to hit the blonde, soon they were fighting, punching and kicking and tearing any part of each other they could.

The teachers and carers found them mid fight when the break bell rang and the incident lead too mass hysteria. Children began screaming when they saw the girl and the two of them fighting the teachers rushed into pull them apart but they clung to each other and kept trying to kick and bite.

"Why are you helping her!?" Gaara screamed. "She called us monster! She spat at you!"

"Because she's a person!" Naruto choked back as they were finally broken apart and held captive, facing each other. "She doesn't know any better! If you hurt them you are the monster that they say you are! I DON'T WANT TO BE A MONSTER!"

Gaara stared as the blonde was dragged away to be cleaned up and talked to he was pulled the opposite way and teachers kept all the other children back while they phoned for an ambulance.

After that day, Gaara was transferred away again and despite the incident between them, Naruto was miserable. He'd finally found somebody like him and now he was gone.

"I want to see Gaara." He told the carers, repeatedly, for a month, until finally they agreed he could have a visit. Naruto didn't sleep the night before he went to see Gaara, he was too excited. Ever since the children learnt Naruto had stopped Gaara hurting the girl, they were less mean, still cruel, but it wasn't as intense. He knew Gaara wouldn't be the same; he wanted to know he was okay.

When they got to the special orphanage, Naruto ignored his carer who was trying to take him to reception and ran straight round the side of the building to the playground, where sure enough, sat rocking slowly on a swing, was the red head that he'd missed so much.

"Gaara!" He yelled happily and ran towards the boy, who looked up in shock when he recognised the voice. He stopped just before the swing and punched the boy in the shoulder. Gaara blinked a few times before raising a fist and punching Naruto back, softly and the blonde grinned, then felt his jaw drop when Gaara _smiled. _Gaara _never_ smiled.

"I don't like being a monster." He said simply and the blonde practically beamed.

---

"Heheh, remember when we were kids and that one time I came to your centre and we swapped identities for a day." Naruto laughed softly as he and Gaara stood in the centre of the baby's bedroom.

"Yes, you made my hair blonde with yellow poster paint." The red head replied and Naruto giggled mischievously.

"And you painted black round my eyes! That reminds me, how are you sleeping these days?" Gaara had been an insomniac since he was four years old, and it caused the dark circles around his eyes.

"Better." He answered with a smile.

"Hm...good..." Naruto began, scratching the back of his neck out of nervous habit. "So, I brought you up here to tell you um...wow I'm bad at this sort of thing."

"You were bad at a lot of things but managed them in your own way." Gaara mentioned and Naruto thought for a moment.

"I guess..." He mumbled. "Like the hand thing, sort of our way of shaking hands or hugging?" Gaara nodded in agreement. "Well...it's sort of why I called you up here. You're like a brother to me, you always have been since our orphanage days and so...well...jeez..." He sighed, shuffling his feet and taking a breath. "You're family to me and you've helped me a lot and we want you to be her godfather." He finished, looking up once he'd got his point out. Gaara was smiling when he regained eye-contact and he raised a hand vertically in the air. Naruto grinned and lifted his own hand, pressing their palms together firmly.

"I would love to be her godfather." He told the blonde, and for a moment they were seven and they were beaming at each other on a swing set.

---

Outside on a bench, Sakura and Sasuke sat close, sharing the heat of each other and the steaming tea cups to fight back at the biting late autumn-early winter chill that was settling. This season was going to be a cold one, but none of the elements could touch the pink haired woman as she received the news from her raven friend. Her cheeks were flushed a soft pink in both temperature and pride.

"Godmother?" She smiled admiringly, "Of course I will!" She hastily placed her teacup on the cold wooden bench beside her and pulled Sasuke into a tight hug. The raven only sighed and held her to him, hugs were never something he'd indulged in but with Sakura they were inescapable and with her, they were comforting. She was like a sister to him, or a mother to him and Naruto depending on how childish they were acting. They would be lost without her, she was family. Finally the hug lessened and they went back to staring out at the garden, tucking their knees up onto the bench to escape the dropping temperature. Sasuke felt like a teenager again, when he'd sit on the wall behind the library at school and smoke in secret, glaring at anybody who walked past. A few details had changed, he did not smoke anymore and he didn't feel much like glaring.

He'd met Sakura in college, she was doing sciences and medicine, he was doing arts and English. At first he hated her, she was infatuated with him and he'd spend all year attempting to get her to leave him alone, rejecting her repeatedly. It ended one Christmas when Sasuke grew tired of college and quit, moving with Kakashi to the city, escaping her advances. Fate however is unforgiving and who was to know he would end up in love with her best friend? In fact, even before that, he'd broke his arm and ended up with her as his assistant nurse, Tsunade had been his main nurse. What was funny was Tsunade was Naruto's Godfather's best friend and Sakura's mentor and almost second mother, and this was even before he'd ran into Naruto in the publishers and glared at him for the first time. It was a very small, messed up but lovable world that he lived in. By then, Sakura had grown up and accepted that he did not want her affections, when he met Naruto, their lives merged again and now she was the sister-mother figure he'd lost all those years ago. "Who else have you guys chosen?"

Sasuke snapped out of his nostalgia and shook fallen leaves from his hair, shivering at the sudden realisation of cold before he grabbed his tea and settled again. "Naruto is asking Gaara."

"Aww, that's nice, those two have always been close haven't they." It was more of a statement than a question as she remembered a younger version of Gaara and Naruto from primary school.

"I mean, Lee is technically a godfather too if you two are married and all but...I decided it was easier telling you, well, because..."

"Because Lee would run round the garden yelling something about the glorious protection of youth, I get it." Sakura grinned, finishing his sentence for him, he laughed in agreement. "Don't worry, I know he's crazy."

"He's a good man." Sasuke disagreed and Sakura looked to him questioningly, it was unusual for Sasuke to be openly approving or complimentive of the people who knew him. "He'd make a good father, let's go back inside, it's getting colder."

It was one comment in that sentence that got Sakura's attention in particular and she narrowed her eyes in suspicion of her friend, who was stood holding open the back door for her with a smile on his face. She stood and strolled past him, ruffling his hair to annoy him as she did. "Yes, it is rather...chilly." She winked and he nodded knowingly as they went back inside.

Naruto and Gaara were back downstairs, Sasuke noticed when they returned, the redhead was holding his new goddaughter, stroking her black fluffy hair with his pale hand. Naruto was watching proudly.

"I'll tell Lee when we get home, save you the excitement." Sakura laughed in a whisper as they went back to their places, Sasuke leaning on the sofa next to Gaara and nodding at him with his arms folded.

"Thank you." Gaara said, Sasuke understanding and smiling at the man.

"No problem."

_NRGGHHHHHHHHHHH_

Many sets of eyes turned to look at a startled blonde, who looked at his abdomen accusingly.

"Dude..." Kiba began with irked brows, "Was that your stomach?"

"Heh, guess it's time to eat!" The blonde laughed, nodding apologetically with a hand behind his head.

---

The rest of the night sailed by with an air of both nostalgic memories and new beginnings. The group sat together and ate a takeaway, laughed at the television, at each other and at the snoring coming from the two babies in their prams, one louder than the other despite being smaller. For Sasuke this was a dream come true. Yes he'd had friends and he had Naruto but adopting seemed to have been the glue that pulled everything together and set it in stone, the tiny threadwork of the bigger masterpiece. Sat around him, laughing, cuddling, snoozing (Shikamaru, like father like son) and eating, were his family. Before Naruto, he'd avoided anything familiar to a family feeling, the pain of losing his own proved too difficult and he could not put his faith in another and lose it. After Naruto, all these people had appeared and he just couldn't push them away, he didn't want to anymore. His faith in family had slowly been building up through the relationship and adopting the beautiful little girl he had just proved to him that he deserved a second chance. If he couldn't protect the first family, he was going to do things right the second time round, there was no way he was ever letting these people go.

He was strangely sad when they left the house to return to their own that Sunday night, the normal feeling of gladness that the house would be quieter again didn't come and instead a feeling of emptiness washed over him when all the conversation and laughter disappeared. Though, not for long, as the tiny snores from the little girl curled into his arm, reached his ears, and the sigh from his lover danced across his neck. The emptiness became a feeling of being whole, being part of something he'd been yearning for and missing all this time. He wouldn't let anything break this, not this time.

"Let's go to bed." The raven whispered, kissing the man behind him slowly before they switched off the TV and the lights and began their ascent to the bedroom.

Safely inside the familiar room, the baby was laid in her basket, the floor was littered with clothes and the bed was soon filled with two warm bodies that soon entwined together into one form, each half murmuring an affectionate 'goodnight' to the other. For the third time that week, Sasuke slept without nightmares.

* * *

To say Sasuke was confused the next morning was an understatement. He was almost certain...no definite...that somebody was..._licking _him.

Now it was too heavy to be a dog or a cat...unless it was a very fat dog or cat...but they did not own a dog or a cat and anyway if they did it would not be fat. If it _was_ a dog or a cat then he was not in his own bed and he was sure he was in his own bed because he had gone to sleep in his own bed last night...or so he remembered...unless he had gotten drunk last night and somehow ended up in the garden. Though, he couldn't remember drinking that much...and if he had then the dog better had get the fuck out of his garden!

"Mmmhoutt!" He mumbled, making perfect Uchiha logic in his own mind, which was not quite ready to get up and face the world at this minute. He felt something run over his stomach, it felt like fingers...wait, dogs didn't have fingers, what kind of dog was this?! One that giggles apparently, as the sound reached his awakening ears. Okay whoever was doing this was pissing him off. "Stop...laughing..." He sighed, still half asleep but quickly gaining consciousness, even more so when the fingers on his abdomen trailed lower and came to a halt on his underwear. The baffled Uchiha wondered if he were dreaming, it would have explained a lot. He decided it was definitely a person, if a dog was doing this then it was a pretty sick twisted dream...

Above the Uchiha, Naruto laughed to himself quietly, watching as his lovers face unknowingly displayed signs of confusion, relaxation and - he gave the front of his underwear a gentle squeeze - yep, there was the sex face he found so adorable. "Haha, you're so cute when you're asleep." The blonde chuckled, lowering his mouth to his lovers face and kissing random places lightly, sometimes trailing his tongue along the pale skin. He knew Sasuke would probably get mad if he woke up, but oh well, he may as well have his fun while he could. Plus, Sasuke was unpredictable, he might wake up and be quite the opposite of mad.

Inside the awakening Uchiha mind, Sasuke's logical thinking was disappearing as he began to feel more of the sensations tantalising his sensitive body. He decided he rather liked this dream, though it was a shame it wasn't a real tongue licking the inside of his lips or real teeth nipping at them, or a real hand delving into his underwear greedily or-WOAH that was definitely real blood rushing to his groin though. Wait a second...there was only one logical explanation for this...it wasn't a dream...and there was only one culprit...

"Naruto."

"Yes, Sex-uke?" The blonde chirped, Sasuke didn't even try opening his eyes, he could imagine the man kneeling over him with a stupid triumphant expression anyway. How long had Naruto been molesting him in his sleep? That was pretty sneaky!

"I'm awake." The raven stated unamusedly, to make Naruto quite aware he knew what the man was doing.

"I can see that." The blonde replied in a sultry voice, squeezing Sasuke's package to emphasise his point.

Sasuke shuddered but managed to hold in the moan that wanted to escape his lips. Naruto laughed evilly and fell forward, kissing the man's neck as Sasuke finally opened his eyes to a mix of sunlight and hair the _colour_ of sunlight. "Naruto?" He sighed, "By any chance are you horny?"

"Maaaaaaaaybe..." Came the reply and Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"Get off."

"Trying to."

"Naruto! That's not what I meant!"

"Huhuhuhuhuh...."

The raven growled, there was no reasoning when he was like this, it took a practical approach. He sat up, pushing the blonde off him and pinning his arms down to stop them wandering. Blue eyes stared up at him as the man they belonged to pouted like a child, it would have looked innocently adorable if it were not for the lust in his eyes and the tent in his boxers. "Stop it." Sasuke commanded firmly.

"Pleeeeeease?" He whined and Sasuke shook his head.

"No."

"Not even a quickie?!"

"No."

"Blow job?"

"No!"

"Make out?!"

"...no!"

"KISS?!"

Sasuke looked down at the pleasing man and sighed lowering his head to kiss him quickly, denying access to the eager tongue that tried to slip between his lips. He pulled back and switched their position so they were lying on their sides, Sasuke behind Naruto, still holding his hands. "Now stop it." He heard Naruto 'Hmph!' unhappily and bit the blonde on the shoulder.

"OW! What was that for!?"

"For molesting me and waking me up."

"Bastard..." Naruto mumbled and tried to turn around, growing angry when Sasuke restrained him. "I'm not gonna try anything! Let me go!" Reluctantly the raven let his partner go and watched as he turned onto his other side and cuddled into his chest, pulling the covers up around them, cosily. "I don't want to go to work!" He whined and Sasuke felt himself smirk.

"You don't have to, I rang in yesterday." He felt Naruto pull his head back.

"Really!? Thanks Sasuke! I needed a few days off!" He exclaimed, settling back down.

_Ah, he's going to hate me._

"You can't go back to sleep."

"Why not? The baby isn't awake yet."

"_You_ have to be."

"Why? I'll just make her bottle when I get up."

"You have a job interview."

The pause that followed was...tense. Sasuke felt a little guilty but kept a straight face when Naruto pulled back from him and glared.

"What do you mean -_job interview?" _He growled.

"Today at nine am...you have to be at the garden centre in the superstore for a job interview that I signed you up for." The raven watched for the blonde's reaction, the glare only intensified.

"I already have a job!"

"Yeah, well...about that..."

"Sasuke." Naruto looked livid. "_**What**__ did you do?"_

Were the raven not an Uchiha, he would have gulped in fear, however he _was _an Uchiha, so he just explained calmly. "I rang Karin yesterday and told her that you would not be working there anymore. So technically...I quit your job for you."

"Y-you...I don't...quit m-my..." The blonde stuttered and Sasuke couldn't help it, the smirk was returning, he felt a little guilty and he knew Naruto was going to be furious, but the stuttering mess before him was hilarious. "YOU _**WHAT**?!"_ The smirk grew when Naruto removed himself from the bed and stood looking angry and shocked, on the carpet. "You can't just do that! You didn't even ask me! I can't believe you would-ARE YOU LAUGHING!?"

Sasuke was a little shocked himself, but he couldn't stop the small chuckles escaping his mouth, he felt guilty now, he really did, especially when Naruto continued to tell him off and then storm round the room frustratedly finding something to wear. Ever since he had talked to Kakashi yesterday, he'd been reassured that Naruto loved him and he knew that even if the blonde got angry, he'd forgive him soon enough. It was that giddy realisation along with the happiness he'd felt yesterday and the general amusement he got from riling his partner up, that caused him to stop giggling and begin laughing loudly, unable to control himself.

"I can't believe you're laughing at me Sasuke! Fuck, sometimes you make me so angry! Since when do you laugh anyway!? You're supposed to get angry back and shout at me and try and word your way out of trouble!" Naruto ranted, highly confused by his partners laughing. "This isn't how we usually act! You're confusing me! This **isn't **how it works!" There were tears running down Sasuke's face now as he struggled to breathe for laughing. "You're messing with the system!" The raven snorted loudly and Naruto, humiliated, stormed out of the room, shouting from the landing in anger, finally waking the snoring baby. "MESSING WITH THE SYSTEM!"

Sasuke feared he would die laughing.

* * *

**Ah, poor Naruto :'D**

**I really hope you liked it, theres only one way I will know if you did or not and that is reviews! I did not recieve as many as I'd hoped in the last chapter so I hope I recieve more with this one. They really are helpful for motivation and bettering ideas and writing technique, please even if its only a few words, review :)**

**Oh and by the way, I am from England and therefore I may say some thigns that people from other places wont get such as 'Junior school' becuase our school system is different form those in say, America. I go off how we say things so if theres some things and you're thinking 'what the heck is that?' Just ask haha **

**No baby name yet! Don't worry, you will find out eventually! Other things will become clear as time goes on, Akatsuki will be making moves and also my crappy introduction to other characters lives and histories will get better xD"**

**Anyway, yes, please review and don't miss the next chapter!**

**Kat**


	5. The Harder Parts of Life

Holy crap it's been too long since I posted on this story! My deepest deepest apologies ;~; I could give a million excuses but the actual truth is extreme writing block and lack of time. This story is planned but most of it is just being made as I go along so things can change all the time and it takes me a while sometimes to get a grasp on how fast things should be moving and so on. This chapter seemed to drag when I wrote it and it got to a point where I decided it was better to just finish it and post it as it was rather than worry about its length or little details. I had a lot of trouble with this one and I'm sorry that there aren't many major events happening but I don't want major things to be rushed into becuase this will be a long term fic. The events in this chapter kick off some of the more significant ones which is why it was an awkward one to write.

Anyway enough of that, sorry for the wait, I am beginning the writing of the next chapter right away and am on holiday currently from college so hopefully the wait wont be as long for chapter six! Enjoy and please review, this chapter was difficult to write so any feedback would be very helpful.

* * *

**Hope With Hidden Reason - Chapter Six**

**.**

**The Harder Parts of Life**

**.**

If there had been any extra occupants in the waiting room of the Konoha Superstore Garden Centre that Monday morning, they would be witness to a blonde in his mid-twenties, sat looking pissed off in one of the sleek metal chairs. The room, however, was empty aside from him, so he stewed in his own anger and nervousness, taking note of the room he was sat in to distract himself. It was pretty standard; it existed behind the reception of the large garden centre through a white wooden door. The room itself was also white, with beige accents including a three-piece flowery canvas on the feature wall in various shades of boring brown. There were three chairs and a coffee machine on a table opposite and a floor made up of a thin beige carpet. There was a large clock opposite the blonde, ticking away distractingly and irritatingly.

Sat on a chair that was impossible to get comfortable in, Naruto muttered curses under his breath. That morning had been dramatic, after Sasuke had continued to laugh, he had locked himself in the bathroom and refused to go to the interview, annoyed at Sasuke thinking he could just do whatever he liked and get away with it. It didn't take too long however for Sasuke to coax him out of the room and into a tight hug, where a genuine apology was whispered in his ear. Naruto forgave people quickly, especially Sasuke, and soon he was thrust into a smart shirt and some black trousers and was wolfing down some breakfast while Sasuke fed their woken child. The blonde did not stop the steady flow of glares he sent Sasuke's way however, they were never returned, Sasuke always sent back a look of guilt, which made Naruto's insides squirm, and he soon stopped.

Sasuke often did things out of instinct but often they worked out for the best and whenever they had a fight it was over quickly. Naruto kept seeing a mix of determination, confusion and guilt in the raven's eyes that morning and it was why he hugged his partner tightly and kissed his baby on the forehead lightly before exiting the house and getting on with his life. There was no point brooding on things because it got you nowhere, that's what Naruto believed, however, it didn't stop him brooding while he was sat in the waiting room unable to do much anyway.

"Stupid controlling boyfriend..." He mumbled, arms folded in a cross defensively across his chest as he wriggled in the chair for the hundredth time trying to sit comfortably. He just couldn't relax, he had been told many times that people tended to like him quickly, however he never really understood himself why and interviews made him extremely nervous. He always worried he'd make an idiot of himself, he wasn't good at being formal and he knew he wasn't the most socially equipped man in the world. Making a good impression on people made him self-conscious. He tugged at his collar and gulped, wondering if he should have worn a tie or not. He had no idea when it came to things like this, it was one of the reasons he was so reluctant to quit his job as a cleaner, he was comfortable there and had gotten past an interview.

Deciding there was no point in just sitting any longer, the blonde stood and walked over to the coffee machine and stared at the button blinking on the front of it. His features contorted into a scowl when the thought of coffee led to thoughts of a certain raven haired man and to justify himself he continued to grumble. "Why does he even like coffee? The stupid ass..." He jabbed the button angrily and heard the machinery inside the plastic casing roar into life, yelping when the coffee began coming out. Quickly, he placed a cup there and sighed as he watched it fill, lifting it to his lips and taking a sip. "EURGH!" He grimaced and looked round for somewhere to put the offending cup, setting it down on the table again in a flurry and groaning when some of it spilled. "See everything's going bad already!...and how the fuck can he drink this stuff all day!? Its gross!" He rambled, wiping up the spilt liquid with a paper towel and leaving the table before he could damage anything else, groaning when the taste of coffee remained in his mouth. "Ooooohhh..." He whined and sat back with his arms over his face. _This is all Sasuke's fault...he is so being uke next time we do it...I could be having a relaxing day at home right now...playing with the baby... _

A smile graced his lips at the thought of a tiny being with fluffy spiky hair and miniature little feet and hands. "Heheh..."

"Mr Uzumaki?"

Flinching, Naruto sat up and removed the arms from his face, seeing a thin man with a pointed face stood by what he assumed was the interview room door. The blonde sighed inwardly. _Great, not only am I totally screwed already but now he must think I'm crazy sat here giggling to myself..._

Indeed the man was giving him a strange look, he was expecting maybe some scruffy student looking for part time work, what he was seeing was a man in his mid twenties looking terrified and quite ruffled. "My name is Steven Carter, could you please come through to the interview room now." He gave the man a smile and held out a hand to shake, the poor blonde potential employee looked mortified.

Naruto gulped and held forward a shaky hand, oh how he hated handshakes, then fiddled with his collar before heading into the room. _Here goes nothing..._

* * *

The ceiling was a place familiar to most babies, spending most of their infant lives lying on their backs due to the inability to use their frail limbs to sit up, they gazed upon the ceiling frequently. 'The baby' as she was frequently addressed by her surrogate fathers, had seen a few of the ceilings in their home, mainly their bedroom. She liked that ceiling, it was a nice colour, she didn't know what colour it was but it was nice. She was currently on her beanbag looking up at a plain boring standard ceiling though, and unknown to her fretting father who seemed to be acting oddly this morning, she was getting pretty bored of the world above her. She wanted to sit up and be carried, she sensed her new parent's presence somewhere on the other side of the room and squawked loudly, preparing her tiny lungs for a satisfying cry.

Standing near the back of the room by an extremely troublesome pram, Sasuke grimaced when he heard the beginnings of a temper tantrum begin. He dropped the pram quickly and scooted across the room to the baby, looking down at her little red face and sighing at her. "What's the matter?" He mumbled soothingly. _I'm bored! _The infant thought loudly, though it came out like everything did in a quiet wailing squeak. He snuggled her gently and she hushed. _Much better!_

Today Sasuke was going to brave the outside world with his new daughter, as he'd promised Naruto he would this morning, and after this morning's events he decided it was best to try and abide by Naruto's wishes. Though, he was fast approaching the decision to ignore such wishes, taking the baby out was a task better left said that done. He didn't know how mothers coped, he was clever yes, but putting up a pram was an impossible task, and Sasuke Uchiha was not about to read the instruction manual, no way. Especially for something he saw tons of woman do one handed, not even looking, while they tended to their kids at the same time. No, he _would_ win the battle with this dammed thing.

He first tried to put the baby down but she wailed loudly when he tried. Instead, he held her with one arm while pulling at the pram with the other, hoping it would somehow right itself. It flopped about uselessly and stayed as collapsed as it came in the box. Sasuke glared at the object and grew more frustrated. The manual lay tauntingly in the box beside him.

He tried once again to no avail and then decided this required two hands, with a sigh he reluctantly placed the infant in her beanbag beside him and thanked his lucky cards when she remained silent, if a little curious when Sasuke grabbed the collapsed pram and tried lifting it, hoping it would fall open. Instead, the whole pram simply lifted into the air, still flat as it came. The Uchiha growled and picked up the manual, it wasn't like anybody knew he was letting down the male race by reading instructions.

"Our little secret." He said seriously to the baby as he sat cross legged and opened the crisp white pages. She looked back at him blankly.

After a few minutes he threw the leaflet aside and stood sceptically over the pram. _It can't be that easy..._ He mused to himself, grabbing a lever to the side of the pram and unwinding it, he raised it by the handles again and it snapped up and into place, dumbfounded he snapped the lever back into place and looked at his now working purchase. _No way was it that easy..._ He thought to himself, deciding that anything popped up by a lever couldn't possibly be safe for his daughter. There were visions in his head of it collapsing as soon as she was put into it. He tentatively pushed the seat of the pram with a hand, biting his lip when it stayed upright. He was still sceptical about its strength. _Well, only one way to find out for sure._

Thanking the heavens Naruto wasn't here to witness this, he lowered his own body into the pram, glad he was as slim as he was otherwise it would have been impossible. Once he was seated in the cramped space he waited for a few seconds before sighing. If it hadn't collapsed under his weight then it had to be safe. He stood up again. Or he tried to, realising he wasn't as skinny as he thought when his body remained glued to the pram he was attempting to get free of. He glared at nothing in particular and tried again, getting a bit further before falling back down in a huff, face falling further when he heard a giggle from his daughter.

"Oh that's funny is it?" He said sarcastically, she grinned a gummy grin up at him and he couldn't help but melt a little. Once more he attempted to stand, groaning when he managed it, but crouched over with the pram still stuck to his rear end and lifted into the air. "It is definitely a good job Naruto isn't here." He muttered, not able to keep the embarrassed smile from his face as the baby squealed in delight at the amusing events. He prised the pram from his rear and set it down, bringing the baby up in his arms and to the couch where he'd laid out her coat, shoes and hat. He put the tiny shoes on her feet, they were more a cross between shoes and socks really because of her age, but they would be warm at least. Then he put on the coat Sakura had bought for her, pink with tiny flowers stitched along the sleeves and hem. And lastly the small knitted white bonnet that he'd dug out from the attic and given a clean. It had belonged to his grandmother, then his mother, then Itachi, then him. He looked at her and couldn't help feel saddened and a little angry at the physical reminder of his mother, and the man he was ashamed to call his brother. He gathered the baby into his arms and held her closely, kissing her bonnet covered head as the surging need to protect her replenished itself.

The feeling only grew as he put her in the pram and got his own coat, looking at the door to the house as if it were the enemy as he pushed her towards it. He was about to take her into the outside world. The streets. Out there, there were people, strangers, germs, pollution, murderers, kidnappers, cars, bikes, smoke, rapists, Karin.

"Oh god." He gasped, rubbing the bridge of his nose in frustration. It was now or never. He'd happily take never, but he'd promised Naruto he would take her out and he knew he had a point. She'd have to be taken out at some point; being cooped up inside a house wasn't good for her either. Sighing once more he opened the door and pushed her out onto the front yard, locking the house behind him. "Here we go."

---

There was the occasional time when Sasuke would walk through town and not be distasteful. He might find interest in certain people or buildings or just the vibe of the budding town square, however, in recent light of frustration where he was worrying about his career, his boyfriend and his baby, he was on the edge. Nothing in the town could reach out to him in these moments, he was too busy nervously looking at the baby and everybody who passed him every few seconds, worried any one of them could be a potential rapist or murderer. In reality he was being silly, the baby was fine, the people walking past in suits and school uniforms were safe and on a lazy Monday morning after rush hour, everything was peaceful. Not for Sasuke though, all he could see were people who could hurt his baby, cars that could hit her in the future when she crossed the road to school. Oh god school...that was another worry in itself. Letting her go alone to a building full of other kids that could terrorise her? Maybe she would prefer home tutoring...

He reached the corner of the main road in town and looked up it, it was busier than most and if there was one place he'd rather go to here, it was up this street. As he thought of the place his mouth watered and a need for caffeine came to mind. Was his caffeine addiction worth the stress he'd get taking the baby up this street?

_Coffee Coffee Coffee Coffee..._

His mantra thought so. However he regretted the decision the moment he began his accent up the street, the pavements were narrow and business men seemed to charge towards him like torpedoes, causing some form of standoff. At the last minute (when Sasuke was close to a heart attack) they'd swerve and duck round the pram and he'd panic. Even more so when gangs of college students on their lunch break did it. One toddler waved and leant towards the pram to look at the baby inside and Sasuke all but died. The notion was cute but every time something came near the pram he turned hot and defensive. He was going crazy...he had to be...he could even hear Naruto in his head telling him to stop being such an uptight asshole and loosen up. It had to be a lack of caffeine, he decided, luckily the scary journey was over when he saw the Starbucks sign on a shop front and quickly went inside.

Thankfully, it was a Monday and it wasn't too busy, most people were still at work and lunch breaks were nearing their end, many people had left and there was just a few scattered about the shop reading or typing on laptops, maybe unaware of the time, or simply too unbothered to care.

He ordered a large cappuccino from a young woman at the till, clearly in training, and eyed up the extras on the counter. Seeing a large chocolate coin he debated buying it so the baby could suck on it. Then again she wouldn't eat all of it, she was only young, and probably couldn't hold it herself, and he wouldn't finish it, he didn't like sweets. _Naruto can have the rest. _He decided and bought one anyway, taking his drink from the end of the counter and adding three sachets of brown sugar to it, smiling as he anticipated drinking it. Damn he loved Starbucks.

He looked around for a seat, he usually sat upstairs, right at the back in the corner and stared out of the window, trying to write up story plots. He was not getting the pram upstairs however and the option of using the lift wasn't even thought about, instead he wheeled the pram round to the back of the bottom floor, where all the small tables and couches were. He could only see one other person there, not really sparing them a glance as he sat in the set of chairs and tables next to them, setting the pram down right beside him. The baby glanced all around them, clearly interested by the new surroundings. "Trust you to be fearless." Sasuke said quietly to her. "That trait of yours is going to be the death of me one day for sure, especially with Naruto's influence." He smiled worriedly at the thought of the blonde, wondering how his interview was going. He'd be difficult to admit it aloud, but he had every faith in his partner, people gravitated to him and liked him instantly, every enemy he'd made in life became his friend in the end. He just had a way with people. Something Sasuke himself had never possessed.

"MAH!" Sasuke jumped and his head snapped to the baby as she made the loud noise, his heart missing a couple of beats but calming down when he realised she was fine, her eyes trained to something on the table. He followed her line of sight and rolled his eyes when it landed on the shiny gold coin he'd bought.

"Typical, sweet tooth too." He grabbed the coin and ripped half the gold covering off, putting it to the baby's mouth and smiling when she latched onto it eagerly. He propped the other end on her covers so it stayed in her mouth without the need of his help and drank some of his own sugar attacked coffee. He didn't like sweets, but he needed the sugar, coffee was the only thing he could stand sweet. He watched the baby as she sucked on the coin, wondering how she'd react when he took it off her, she wouldn't be able to finish it after all, she probably wouldn't be able to eat _any_, she just liked the taste.

"I always thought it would be Naruto introducing bad habits, this is surprising."

Sasuke's head snapped up at the voice and went immediately to the only other person in this section of the coffee shop, eyes wondering then furrowing in thought. Sat comfortably in one of the squashy green chairs, holding a coffee and a newspaper, was a busty blonde woman looking at him knowingly. Her amber eyes were looking at the sheets of a newspaper sceptically. Tsunade. Sasuke would bet a large sum of money the woman was reading through the betting pages in the newspaper, trust him to run into her of all people.

"Yeah well...stuff happens." He aid lamely, devoid of any sort of comeback to the blonde who rolled her eyes at him and sniffed pointedly.

"Introducing certain foods from a young age can cause addiction. The saturated fat in chocolate can cause poor cardiovascular health and overdose of sugar can lead to diabetes, obesity, hyperactivity, a poor immune system as well as feeding cancerous cells and aggravating asthma arthritis and multiple sclerosis."

Sasuke was taking in her words and looking at the chocolate coin in the baby's mouth as if it were a scorpion. Tsunade laughed wickedly. "Calm down kid, one little suck on a coin won't hurt her, I'm only kidding with you, besides everybody is allowed a little treat at times." Sasuke glared at her as she circled something on her newspaper absent mindedly, tutting to herself before continuing. "It's not her I'm worried about anyway, it's you."

"What about me!?" He snapped defensively, deciding maybe the baby had had enough chocolate coin anyway and taking it from her mouth, wiping away slobber and chocolate residue with a baby wipe. She stared at her father's face in confusion, wondering where the sweet treat had gone. The woman had now stood and moved herself and her coffee over to his table, sitting opposite him and on the other side of the infant, who looked at the newcomer with curiosity.

"You have an excessive amount of sugar in your coffee, you drink it far too many times a week and you refuse to admit you're addicted to it." She said simply and Sasuke scowled.

"I don't sleep much, it helps." He excused, drinking an extra large gulp as if to emphasise.

"Coffee itself can have health benefits such as reducing risk of Alzheimer's, reducing risk of gallstone disease, Parkinson's disease, it protects the liver etc." She agreed momentarily. "However, the sugar, syrups and creams in Starbucks coffee and such have the same effects if not worse than the chocolate ones."

Defeated, Sasuke once again got defensive. "I didn't ask for a doctor's appointment."

"Speaking of which, how long has it been since you had any form of check-up?"

"Stop acting like you're my mum or something! God, you sound like Naruto!"

The blonde woman chuckled lightly, pulling out a silver hipflask from her handbag and pouring some of the contents into her tall glass of coffee. "Fucking hypocrite." Sasuke muttered under his breath, though the woman heard.

"On the contrary-"

"Tsunade, I don't care what positive benefit alcohol brings okay." He cut her off, she only smiled further.

"Well, worth a try." She looked at the baby, setting down her newspaper and Sasuke snorted when he realised he had been right and it was open on a betting page, several things circled in a red pen. "So, this is the little runt Sakura and Naruto have been raving on to me about. I haven't been able to get out of the hospital to see her."

"But you can afford time to lounge in Starbucks."

"Kid, this is the one long lunch break I get all week, don't make me hurt you."

Sasuke was brave but not stupid; this woman was wicked and strong. He wouldn't chance pushing his luck.

"Hn."

"Still socially inept then?"

Sasuke didn't answer.

"You're gunna have to learn to loosen up and get rid of your pride Sasuke. In a few years she'll have you pretending to be a monster, making you chase her around the playground roaring and diving through bushes to catch her. She'll announce embarrassing things in public, probably pee her pants a couple of times in all the worst places. She'll have you dressing up and doing your hair and nails with her." Tsunade grinned, the image of Sasuke in a feathery hat with lipstick smeared on his pasty white face and looking mortified was an absolute delight in her head.

"Well when the time comes...Naruto can do it."

"The time is already here. Did you know at one month old she can already lift her head up for short periods of time, learn to recognise faces and focus on specific things with her eyes? She can recognise tunes and toys and she can make noises to try and communicate with you. Some babies at one month can squeal or laugh, though not many."

"She can." The raven said, not able to stop himself feeling proud of her. "She laughs all the time, and shouts for things when she wants them, and pulls herself when you hold her hands, she can keep her head up for quite a while too." Tsunade smiled, seeing the proud father look Sasuke's voice and expression was emanating. She had a feeling this baby would help Sasuke just as much as he would help her. To be true, the kid needed something to put his hopes into again, Naruto did too.

"She's gonna be a strong girl. I'll have Sakura give her some self defence tips."

"She'd be dangerous." Sasuke smiled, looking at the child, who was staring at the ceiling lights. "What are you doing!?" He then squawked when Tsunade made a move towards her.

"She can also teach you a few things." She told him, unbuckling her harnesses while Sasuke hyperventilated. "Like how to trust people." She lifted the baby from the pram and smiled at her. "And sit down kid! I'm holding her, not setting her on fire or something!" Sasuke looked at himself, now realising he'd even stood up, in a half crouch position as if he was going to snatch back the baby from her arms. He sat down stiffly and watched while the blonde cooed at the infant, who tried to grab her fingers and chew on them.

"Hm. She really is alike to her parents." Tsunade spoke quietly, in a moment of sad reflection, she was looking at the baby and seeing Haku. Being the top doctor in the world meant she knew most of the police force well, working on the ambulance teams at the scene of the more serious crimes. She had also known Haku and Zabuza though Naruto of course, whom she'd known since he was a child, through the silly and perverted godfather of his, Jiraiya. It was terribly sad, what had happened to her parents. She saw it a lot, children, grandparents, husbands, wives, all dying in front of her when despite everything, they just couldn't be saved by surgery or medicine. It was just their time to go. She was the one who would tell their family the bad news, if the poor soul had any. It was sometimes more heart wrenching to have to see their life end and know that nobody would even mourn. Haku and Zabuza's deaths had been personal to her. She'd arrived on the scene but somehow there was this feeling in her gut that it was too late. The minute she heard 'Akatsuki' her blood had boiled. They were responsible for so many deaths, so many lives she had failed to save. As soon as she'd seen her friends bodies slumped on the ground and covered in blood she knew it was too late. Even so, she'd tried everything in her will to bring them back, with no success. She watched two honourable people, two friends and two brilliant police workers die before her.

And now this little girl was left behind.

The baby slobbered on her fingers eagerly and she chuckled, taking them from her mouth. "Dear, I operated on somebody with those hands an hour ago, I'm not sure you want to do that." _I tried to save your parents lives with these hands just over a month ago_. Also went through her mind, though she tried to toss away the thought. She was glad she had a strong heart to put her at ease. "Besides you'll ruin my nails getting them covered in chocolate goop! And SASUKE _sit down_!" She scolded when Sasuke seemed to be having trouble not falling from his seat, she thought he'd been doing relatively well, waiting stiffly while she held the baby, until she'd mentioned the operating on someone an hour ago. Maybe that had been a mistake. "For goodness sake Uchiha! I do wash my hands and use antibacterial gel you know! I'm a world renown surgeon and doctor, don't think I can't handle a month old baby who can't even sit up yet! I've brought hundreds of babies into this world!"

Feeling thoroughly told off, Sasuke sat back in the seat and tried to relax, feeling embarrassed. He knew he was protective but surely this was too far, he couldn't help it. He just kept replaying Chouza Akimichi's words back in his head again and again. He wouldn't be his brother, he had to protect this child.

"That's a dark look you have in your eye there Uchiha." Tsunade sighed, standing and noticing how rigid the younger man became, she handed the baby to him and watched as he almost desperately took her back and clutched her to his chest. The baby certainly wasn't complaining but the wiser woman gave a slightly sad look. She did feel sorry for both of them, both abandoned as kids and with little family. She could see Sasuke was having trouble coping, it was terribly obvious, but being typically stubborn, he was hard to crack. If your brother had killed you whole family and ran away with the biggest criminal organization, it would do things to your mind too. "Sasuke." She spoke and he looked up at the woman above him, she noticed the sorrow in his eyes, the sleepless nights were visible in the dark circles on the once pristine face. "I know you've heard it all before but you've not heard it enough. There are people who will help you with what you're going through. And before you try, don't say you're not going through anything or don't need help because I see you clinging to that child as if she'd going to disappear any minute."

Sasuke, who had opened his mouth to say exactly that, closed it again and looked down into his daughter's hair, a sudden overwhelming feeling of sadness engulfing him. Not even looking up when Tsunade continued, gathering her bag and newspaper. "Look kid. I know he acts clueless at times, but stick with Naruto okay? He's good for you. And he's as much of a stubborn ass as you and wouldn't admit it but he needs you too." She swing her handbag onto her shoulder and checked her makeup with a compact mirror, smiling sadly at the wrinkle she could see forming, she should have many more but she aged very well due to skin creams she had used her genius brain to create, but would not share with the world. She took another look down at the man, who tried to look strong and independent; who once did. Now he looked desperate and clingy and hopeless. "Yeah." She sighed. "What would an old bat like me know right? I'll tell you what, I'm not you, but I know firsthand, life's a bitch. You gotta fight back with all you've got." With that she said a short goodbye and waved lazily over her shoulder as she set off to leave. She didn't look back but she somehow sensed the Uchiha would be watching her go sadly. She exited the shop feeling far lonelier than she entered and wondering about the Uchiha boy looking like a lost child. _Just like everybody else...he just needs a mother to love him._

About ten minutes later, Sasuke Uchiha put his baby in the pram and left the coffee shop silently, the only feature of his stony face that changed was his lips, which parted into a lonely smile when the baby fell asleep on the walk home and began snoring lightly.

* * *

Naruto took his phone out of his pocket and frustratedly dialled numbers before putting it to his ear. The phone rang a couple of times and he stormed down the street frustratedly before the person on the other end of the line picked up.

"KIBA!" He shouted when he heard a muffled 'hello' from down the phone.

"Woah! Dude what have I done this time?!"

"Nothing! Look, are you busy right now?"

"Getting something to eat with Hinata in Mandy Moo's. Why man, what's up?"

"Do you mind if I invade for a while?"

"Uh, no, sure."

"I'll be there in five." He said determinedly and hung up before he got a reply, picking up his steady pace and turning down another street, resisting the urge to punch an innocent lamppost as he passed it.

The interview, in his opinion, could not have gone worse. The guy interviewing him didn't really talk much, so naturally he felt he had to fill in the uncomfortable silence by talking enough for both of them. So then he was babbling, he picked at his shirt so much he managed to pull one or two of the buttons off. He couldn't even remember half of the answers he gave, he was sure he just blurted out the first thing that came to mind when he was questioned. At one point he spilt water all over the desk. Why would anybody hire him? This is _exactly_ why he didn't want to quit his old job even if it wasn't very interesting. He'd told Sasuke that but he'd meddled anyway and here he was, going to invade a friend's day out with his girlfriend because he wanted to let off some steam.

He reached the milkshake bar in four minutes; he'd counted off the seconds to keep his head from blowing up. He entered the place, first marching up to the bar and ordering an extra large red bean paste and coconut milk milkshake before locating his friends and flinging himself down at their table. He let the two members of the table give strange looks as he slurped his milkshake down angrily and then sighed as the sweetness calmed him. He looked up to see Kiba giving him an odd glance and Hinata a slightly concerned one. They were sat together with Kiba's arm over Hinata's shoulder; she was leaning on him slightly. They looked...happy, he was sort of regretting interrupting their day now. He wished things were normal so he could be this way with Sasuke again. Well, so he could secretly hold Sasuke's hand under the table and give him cheeky pinches in cheeky places when he wasn't expecting it...then Sasuke would turn round and smack him, so he'd just turn it around and say something perverted until Sasuke blushed, which he found adorable and on a good day he could put his arm round him and Sasuke wouldn't mind...

"Naruto? HELLOO?"

"SORRY!" He snapped out of his momentary daze and hit himself in the forehead. Damn, he was meant to be annoyed at Sasuke and instead he was sitting here wasting his friends' time by thinking gushy thoughts about him! "I'm sorry for invading and all too guys I just need help and Sakura's always busy saving lives and all and Gaara doesn't talk much but I dunno, I think I need someone to give me a smack across the head and tell me life's okay and I thought of you!"

"Well, thanks." Kiba frowned and smacked Naruto in the forehead, after blinking away the stars the blonde erupted.

"HEY! THAT HURT!"

"Sorry Naruto-Kun!" Hinata apologised for Kiba, who was busy laughing at Naruto cradling his head and giving puppy dog eyes to Hinata's disapproving look.

"He did ask for it!" Kiba insisted and then sighed, ignoring his blonde friend's pout. "So really, what are you all pissed off at?"

"Sasuke!"

"YES! I knew it! Lee just lost five quid!" Kiba cheered, pulling out his phone to text his unfortunate friend, all the while ignoring the disapproving stares of the two other table occupants. When he raised his head his face fell. "Whaaaat?" He whined.

"You bet on my personal problems!?" Naruto groaned; letting his head hit the table. Why oh why did he call Kiba? "Hinata, your boyfriend's an asshole!"

"Awh, come on! Lee was talking to Hinata when I was talking to you and he wanted to know what all the shouting was about – by the way he could hear you through two phones dude – and so I told him you were angry over something and bet him it was Sasuke because let's face it, it's _always_ Sasuke!"

"Hinata, remind me to buy Lee an extra large curry the next time we go out." Naruto mumbled to Hinata, glad at least _one_ of his friends had a little faith in his relationship.

"Aw, I didn't realise you were this angry, I'm sorry man I'll stop. What's the bastard done this time?" Kiba asked, sensing Naruto's fiery attitude burning into a tiny flicker.

"Exactly that...been a bastard. I had a job interview today."

"You're changing jobs?"

"I didn't want to! The prick quit my job for me and got me a new one without telling me and sprung the fact I had an interview today on me this morning! I hate interviews! I always screw them up and I totally screwed this one up and I'm going to end up with no job now..." He slurped his drink before head butting the table again, letting the cool metal settle his aching forehead.

"Tch...typical of him." Kiba muttered, irritated by his friend's partner. He'd always had a grudge against Sasuke. He knew him and Naruto were in love and all and things hadn't been smooth for either of them but Sasuke had hurt Naruto a lot in the past. Even though his blonde friend had explained Sasuke was going through a lot and couldn't make sense of it all and that's why he'd done it, he still had a little resentment.

"I knoooooow!" Naruto whined and Hinata stepped in, ever the one to solve things when men were being emotionally constipated and failing to sympathise.

"Naruto, I'm sure Sasuke wouldn't have done what he did unless he had faith that you would get the job. He probably hasn't doubted you for one minute even if you'd doubt yourself. Plus maybe he only told you this morning so you weren't worrying for the whole weekend about it."

Naruto twiddled a strand of his hair idly, stewing over her words, a part of him believed all that, and had done since he'd been told, however another part was just plain angry.

"He's still a bastard." Kiba added. Yep, there was the other part.

"Kiba! Look Naruto, you may think you've screwed up but you tend to be...likeable to people and you work well on last minute's notice; you're good at gut instinct and going off intuition. Sasuke knows that. He just wants what's best for you, even if he may have gone about it the wrong way." Hinata argued and Naruto was leaning towards forgiving Sasuke until...

"Yeah but the guy is being a complete control freak! Naruto can control his own life and job if he wants to!"

"But-" Hinata cut in quickly as Naruto's mind threatened to fry from the two sides of an argument...it was like having a little devil and angel on his shoulders... "Naruto, you do tend to be quite...stubborn, we all know that, and Sasuke wants the best for you but you wouldn't let him try so he had to be forceful. It's always been that way between you, it's why you are so good together; you push through each other's insecurities."

The argument pondered in his head, Kiba had stayed a quiet if a reasonably annoyed presence, when the whole 'insecurity' topic was mentioned and Naruto felt a little uncertainty stir up in his stomach, which he cooled with a large slurp red bean and coconut milk. Hinata had won, why were women always right? He was glad she was here and it hadn't just been him and Kiba, because he would have gone home angry. He needed them both, to let out some ager but be pulled in by Hinata's reality check. It _was _partly his own insecurities causing the problem. He knew he could get a better job, he could do a lot better...but he just had a weakness about interviews, about anything formal like that. He liked a challenge yes but he didn't like to fail. He could see Sasuke was sorry this morning...he needed to grow up and accept double the blame, they were both stressed out lately, and it was easy to blow things out of proportion and cause problems all over again.

"Mmm...Hinata you're right." He mumbled into the table and heard Kiba sigh loudly.

"As always..."

"Kiba you're right too, just not as much as Hinata." He grinned, sitting back up and stretching tiredly. "Well, I need to go home to said bastard now, see if he kept his promise about taking the baby out for a walk. I bet it took him at least an hour to get her out of the front door."

"Give our love to her." Hinata smiled and the blonde smiled back at her.

"Will do! Listen, thanks guys for the advice, or the smack across the head in Kiba's case, sorry for invading again."

"Any time it's what I'm here for!" Kiba grinned back toothily and held out a fist which Naruto hit with his own, smirking back at him.

"We're always here to talk Naruto, it's no problem." Hinata assured, standing to kiss his cheek before sitting down with Kiba. Naruto rolled his eyes and touched his chest with an innocent expression.

"Aww, remember when you used to have a major crush on me!?" He looked off into space as if he were reminiscing as Hinata blushed and Kiba rolled his eyes.

"That was a long time ago Naruto..." She mumbled and her boyfriend kissed the side of her face, grinning up at Naruto challengingly.

"Well I got this beautiful girl and you got a moody bastard so I guess I win."

Naruto snorted and grabbed his drink from the table. "Well Sasuke gets this gorgeous blonde bombshell and Hinata got a smelly dog so I guess I win."

"Hey leave Akamaru alone!" Kiba called as Naruto turned to leave.

"Who said anything about Akamaru?!" Naruto grinned over his shoulder and then ran from the shop when Kiba stood to chase him, another smack to the head on offer.

---

Naruto felt a lot better as he walked home, so much better that he stopped in at the local bakery on the way home. His sweet drink had ran out and he was still in the mood for sugar, so he got a selection of cakes wrapped in a box to take home with him to share with his moody bastard boyfriend. Sasuke claimed to hate sweets but Naruto always suspected him to be a liar, he was sure it was something to do with Sasuke's brother, he wasn't sure _what _exactly, but it was more of Sasuke's refusal to eat sweets rather than the fact he disliked the taste. He'd caught Sasuke more than enough times putting about five sugars in his coffee to know.

"Crazy fuck." Naruto sighed, looking up at the dying sky with a sad smile on his face. Sometimes he wondered what really went on in the raven's head.

* * *

_I stand in the kitchen where this morning you and Naruto Uzumaki had a fight. There is still the empty ramen cup he ate quickly while he shouted at you. You tried not to shout back. You apologised. There was a period of time where you wouldn't care, he's changed you. You are becoming more and more like the five year old I used to know._

_I ghost over the tiles, brushing an empty coffee cup with my hands and let myself feel the cool temperature of the ceramic. The text on the mug reads 'World's grumpiest boyfriend!' - a present from Naruto last valentine's day. I've long lost my taste for coffee, for anything. Now I eat and drink because I must. It surprises me somewhat that you take your coffee with so much sugar, ever since the incident, you aimed to be the complete opposite of me. I love sweet things, therefore you hate them. I know though, the sugar helps you stay awake in those long lonely early mornings in your office, or it once did, until your body grew so used to it that your exhaustion levels are normal now even with the sugar. It's now just a comfort addiction. Causing bitter amusement, I pick up the sugar jar and carry it with me - a private joke between me myself and I..._

_I leave the kitchen slowly, taking my time, I will be informed if you are on your way back – my partner knows when to let me know. I make sure my fingertips touch everything they can on my way out, the table where you eat breakfast, the ramen filled cupboards, the tomatoes in the fruit bowl. I leave my mark on everything, just to prove I've been there and though you won't know, I will._

_The living room is next and I run my tainted hands over the back of the couch, over the stain Naruto made with chocolate sauce, which you scolded him for but pretended not to care, then sneaked downstairs at three am to scrub at it furiously. The fabric is a little worn from your harsh treatment. The cushions, still messy where you lay with the baby this morning, where Naruto flung himself down to eat his breakfast. The coffee table, covered in odd tit bits from chopsticks, dummies, baby toys, magazines and one of your first mangas. It's a shame I don't have the time to read it, you'll be home soon. I pick it up nevertheless and flick through, your art style is undeniably you, sharp and angular and dark. The characters hold a lot of emotion and lead complex lives. There's always one that has a simple life too, one that everybody loves. The person you want to be? Naruto?_

_I lay the book down in the position I found it, I could solve a thousand cryptic puzzles but I won't get started. I've always been able to solve you, you're my favourite puzzle._

_The mirror on the wall catches my eye, and I catch my reflection back, walking towards the fireplace it's above. My expression holds nothing to an unknowing eye, just a pale face and worn grey eyes with stationary lips. You would always read me when we were little; then again, I was more alive back then._

_Before I killed everybody._

_I leave the mirror when a ball of anger threatens to emerge from my chest and smash it. It's time for me to leave now anyway, but before that I silently walk upstairs. The room I end up in is newly decorated and covered in photographs of various people, mostly the same. I brush my fingers over the glass showing one of two people and their new baby. I killed them. I destroyed their family, just like I destroyed ours. What would you do if you found me here? If you watched me feel the silk on the baby's pillow, the pillow you won't even let her sleep on yet because it means she will be in a different room to you? I've seen the way you protect her, you won't let her out of your sight. Are you afraid I'll get to her?_

_Unfortunately, little brother, I will._

* * *

The sound of keys in the door signalled Sasuke's return to the house, he made his way inside, shut it gently behind him and turned to the baby. She had fallen asleep on the way home, her tiny face sucking on a dummy and her fingers twitching occasionally. He crouched down in front of her and lightly curled his finger round some of her fluffy hair before letting it run along her cheek. His face was solemn, still thinking about his encounter in the coffee shop that had left him feeling stirred up inside. He momentarily wished he was in the baby's tiny shoes, with everybody else watching over her and protecting her while she slept soundly. Then he felt selfish and shook it off, there was no use in thinking that, it wouldn't happen.

He undid her harness and gently scooped her up into his arms; she stirred a little but fell back into a routine of short snores when her head curled into her father's chest. He gave her a squeeze and closed his eyes tightly, inhaling the baby powder smell. How did one encounter with Tsunade leave him feeling this...vulnerable?

Turning to go sit on the couch, he stopped dead in his tracks. A hot feeling of fear and surprise quickly ran from his head to his toes. It was the same feeling you got when you missed a step walking downstairs and for a moment think you're going to fall.

He could have sworn he just saw somebody.

He let out the breath he'd been holding and blinked a few times, the house looked as empty as he left it. He was sure though, he'd seen a figure move up the stairs. The prickly fearful feeling retuned and he clutched the baby tighter, paranoia now filling his mind. He tried telling himself he was only seeing things, after all, nothing moved that fast. Despite what he told himself though, images of burglars and criminals and, oh god, his brother, just kept flashing through his thoughts. His heartbeat sped up dramatically and he willed his legs not to shake. There was still no proof anybody was in his house, the door had been locked and no windows were open, there was no signs of tampering of theft. There was nobody apart from him here.

"N-Naruto?" He called, his voice a lot smaller than he'd remembered it. After nothing answered him he cleared his throat and called again. "Naruto!?" He listened, biting his lip, but heard nothing, only pressing silence. If there had been somebody, they would probably have been startled or make a noise by now, nobody could be this quiet, right? He slowly moved to the couch and sat down, still clinging to his child. He knew, if he was Naruto at this minute, he would bound up the stairs, shouting for all he was worth and threatening to kick the ass of anybody in their house. Holding his new child though, and suffering from his already high levels of paranoia, he couldn't bring himself to move now he had managed to sit down. He could only sit stiffly and rock back and forth a little; eyes clenched and body tense with dread. He was frozen, the last time he had felt like this was a long time ago, the last time everything he had known was taken away from him.

He breathed a little heavier as he forced any tears or sounds to stay deep inside his body, he could not bring himself to be that weak. He could feel the pressing panic attack enforcing itself and wondered how on earth this was happening so quickly. This was Itachi doing this to him. The man he always tried to keep right at the back of his mind and not let out. The mere thought of him here, in this house, next to his child, so close he could take the life from her baby lungs with a single blow...the thought was too much for Sasuke's mind to comprehend. He inhaled the baby's scent, repeating the same words in his head over and over while he rocked back and forth:

_Please come home Naruto. _

All he needed was Naruto right now, to complete the picture, to give him some strength and take away the paranoia that struck him sharply with every tiny noise his sensitive ears picked up. His mind was turning ordinary, usually ignored house noises into the sounds of footsteps and people moving around upstairs. What was worse was the voice of his own head too, not only whispering possibilities of Itachi and the rest of Akatsuki coming back to destroy his life once again but shouting insults and put downs into his ear.

_You're so fucking weak. What happened to you?!_

_This is Naruto! He's turned you soft! _

_Sat here holding a baby and rocking back and forth like some mental case! _

_Fucking coward. _

_You failed to save your family once and he'll get you again if you carry on like this._

_He's upstairs. _

_He'll get you._

An audible sound left his mouth, somewhere between a gasp and choking sound, breathing was getting dreadfully difficult. He just had to keep rocking. Back. Forth. Back. Forth. Back. Forth...

* * *

"Hey baby! I'm home!" Naruto burst in through the door after unlocking it noisily and turned left into the kitchen area. "And by baby I meant _our_ baby! Not _you_, you're still a bastard! But even though you are, I still brought you some ca...ke...Sasuke?" Naruto staggered at the end of the sentence after catching a glimpse of his lover and sensing something wasn't right. He set the bag down on the kitchen table and began to walk over. Sasuke was just, sat there; he wasn't moving, wasn't talking or even looking at him. If the man wasn't sat so stiffly and posed he would have assumed he had fallen asleep holding the baby to him. "Sas?" He said again, leaning over the back of the couch to look at his lovers face and feeling his mouth fall open a little. For a second he caught raw emotion in the black eyes of his boyfriend before he finally moved and turned his face away. There had been a look of frustration, fear and insecurity...he'd just looked...lost. It was so unlike him. "Are you okay?" The blonde asked. "What's wrong?"

Instead of answering, Naruto straightened up as Sasuke stood, moving around the back of the sofa and surprising Naruto by walking quickly to him and hugging him tightly with the arm that wasn't holding the baby. He even buried his face into the blondes shoulder and let out a breath that sounded like it had been held for a long time. Naruto, speechless, just hugged him back securely, kissing the side of his boyfriends head and wondering what on earth had happened. "Sas-"

"Don't talk." The raven said quietly, making Naruto jump and double take at the meekness of it. "Just let me...just..." He finished with a frustrated loss of words and just squeezed him tight as he could without squashing the baby in his arms. Naruto did as he was asked and just let the raven hold him, taking comfort in the embrace too. He gave it a minute before sighing and pulling back, forcing Sasuke to look at him. He could see that already a lot of the previous emotion was gone, shielded behind his eyes and locked away like he always locked everything away.

"What happened?" Naruto asked, pressing his forehead to the raven's slightly clammy one.

"It's...it's nothing...I just thought...nothing."

"Don't lie, Sasuke." The blonde said sternly when the raven dodged giving him an answer.

"I'm not! I just...it's okay now. I'm okay, just leave it I don't wanna think..." He insisted and pulled away, sitting down at the table, still holding the baby, although a little looser than before.

"Are you sure?" Naruto asked, he wouldn't let him get away with it completely but if he didn't want to talk right now then he'd wait until he was ready.

"Yeah." Sasuke nodded, peering inside the bag. "Why'd you buy cake? You know I hate sweets."

"Chyeah!" Naruto snorted. "I may not be the brightest bulb in the box-"

"No kidding."

Well he certainly recovered quickly. The blonde shot him a glare.

"Ahem...but I know sugar is in sweets and you put tons of sugar in your coffee."

"That's different."

"Suuuuuure it is." Naruto rolled his eyes and moved to take the baby; he'd missed her cute little face all day. When he reached to take her from Sasuke however he froze and wouldn't budge. "Uh Sas, can you pass me her, I haven't seen her all day?" The raven seemed to struggle with a reply and pulled her back a little but didn't hand her to him. Naruto sighed. "Sasuke. Are you _sure_ you're okay?" The raven muttered something unintelligible and after a few seconds held their daughter out towards the blonde. He smiled as she was handed to him and held her above his head, cooing to her enthusiastically and watching her wake a little more from her half-asleep state. It was only when he looked at Sasuke that he stopped.

The raven looked completely white, his arms were shaking and the emotion that he had shielded away was back. Realising his mistake, he looked away and folded his arms quickly, not quick enough for Naruto. "Sasuke why are your arms shaking like that? You look like you're about to pass out!" Sasuke didn't answer, just continued to look away pointedly. "How long were you holding the baby up like that?" After a long pause he answered.

"An hour."

"You held the baby all tightly sat up like that for an entire hour? No wonder you're shaking! You're muscles will be knackered! Why did you do that?!" Naruto exclaimed. When he received no answers again he sighed and kissed the raven's forehead before looking down at the wriggling baby in his arms. "She could need changing...we left the changing mat upstairs, I'll go get it." He turned to leave but halted when he was suddenly grabbed from behind and 'don't!' was hissed urgently.

Something was definitely wrong. There was no way on earth Sasuke would ever act like this unless something big had happened...something like...but no, that couldn't be...he couldn't have been here...

"Sasuke." Naruto said seriously, not turning round. "Tell me what happened." He waited for an answer with a poise that made it clear he wouldn't move until he got one. He could feel Sasuke's hand trembling on his back and his face softened a little, he stepped back into the touch and continued more gently. "Tell me, Sasuke."

"I thought...I thought I saw...him." The raven whispered, head bowed in shame over his feelings of weakness. Naruto's stomach grew hot as his worry was confirmed.

"Sasuke! Why didn't you say so! Where did you see him?! Have you rung the police!? Oh god Sasuke has he hurt you?!"

"No...no!...No!" Sasuke muttered and then shrieked as he grabbed Naruto's head between his hands and pulled him into another fierce hug. "Stop it! Stop shouting...please..." He pleaded as if anything spoken with volume was painful. Naruto took a deep breath and willed his heart to calm itself, no wonder Sasuke was acting strange.

"Where did you see him, Sas?"

"I _thought _I did...I really did but...I don't think he was there...I don't know! It was just out of the corner of my eye I was sure I had but...I saw somebody go upstairs..."

"Are you sure?"

"No."

The blonde sighed and squeezed Sasuke tightly, pulling him to the couch and handing him the baby (which he clung to protectively) before kneeling in front of him.

"Listen," He began. "You're safe right now okay? If he was here, he'd be gone by now, he wouldn't have waited around. By the sounds of it you're just seeing things and getting paranoid Sas, you need to rest more. There is nobody in this house right now that would hurt us or the baby, and if there is, then I will kick their ass and throw them out of the bedroom window. You have nothing to panic over." He looked his boyfriend in the eye all the way through his reassuring and then squeezed his arms tightly. "I'm gonna go check, okay?"

The fear lit up again in Sasuke's black eyes and Naruto shot him a determined look, meekly he nodded and cuddled the baby for comfort. Naruto bit his lip at the odd weakness the mere thought of Itachi being here had caused. He kissed Sasuke's head before turning to ascend the stairs.

* * *

.

.

_I saw you walking upstairs loudly, trying to alert any would-be intruder to your presence. You cautiously checked each room, not letting fear overtake you. You won't find anybody, I had left long ago, however your will to protect my brother is strong. He will always try to fight you but you always try to protect him. I do not need to do anything physical to hurt him, the thought of me is enough._

_You cannot protect him from himself._

.

.

* * *

Naruto stood in the centre of the baby's room and exhaled loudly, he had of course, found nobody, just as he thought he wouldn't. He knew how paranoid Sasuke could get when his brother was in question; he turned into a completely different person. Naruto hated to see him like that, as much as an antisocial, proud and independent Sasuke could be a handful but he was also strong, funny and protective. Itachi turned him into a wreck, or a hostile runaway that wanted nothing to do with him.

Some insecurity bubbled up inside him as he remembered the past, when Sasuke had left him the first time. They were memories he never liked to look back on, they raised fear inside him of it ever happening again. He would have to keep an eye on Sasuke from now on, when he was going through funny moods, he could be unpredictable. Today's clinginess could turn to hostility and isolation tomorrow, after Sasuke had realised how weak he'd felt. He'd grow embarrassed and defensive. Protectiveness surged inside the blonde, cursing the nature of proud Uchiha blood.

"NYAH!" He yelped loudly when something brushed along his back, he spun round wildly, ready to defend himself but froze when he saw Sasuke. He _really saw_ Sasuke. The raven's eyes were wider than normal and spoke of terror, a look Naruto wasn't used to seeing from the usually quiet eyes. He was shaking, goodness knows how he'd managed the stairs, but Naruto had a feeling the usually stoic appearing man was scared to be left alone.

Naruto breathed out slowly and cupped Sasuke's face with his hands with a sad look, he made sure to look right into those terrified eyes. "Sasuke." He said surely, "There is _nobody_ here." He tucked a lock of hair behind a pale ear and caressed the baby's fluffy head, looking between the members of his small and precious family. "_Nobody _is in the house, we're safe. The baby is safe, I'm safe and so are you so just calm down, you're really worrying me." There was a pleading tone to the blonde's voice, Sasuke was genuinely scaring him acting like this, it was as if he was a different person altogether.

Sasuke kept staring with a slightly shocked look and his stillness faltered slightly before he let out a shuddering breath (one that sounded like it had been held for too long) and fell into Naruto's arms. The blonde steadied him and the baby whilst whispering reassurances into his ear, wondering if his love was crying, it sounded like somebody crying but knowing Sasuke, he'd be forcing the liquid to remain in his eyes. The baby however, began crying and Naruto prised her from Sasuke's arms and rocked her gently while he continued to console his partner, who with both arms now free, was clinging onto him desperately as if he'd disappear if he were to let go. He felt his eyes prickling and tried to blink the oncoming tears away, he, like Sasuke, wasn't afraid to cry, but right now, he wanted to be strong. Sasuke was scared and upset and he wanted to be the one Sasuke depended on of strength and kept him together. Just seeing Sasuke like this though, knowing that he was filled with such horrible feelings and thoughts from one tiny imaginary sighting of his brother, it hurt him. It hurt him that Sasuke had lost all his family and that the man responsible was still alive and terrorising him to this day. It hurt him to see the paranoia and the desperate need to strive for perfection Sasuke always carried about him, as if he were trying to be perfect, trying to be everything his brother wasn't. It made Naruto's heart ache and just feeling him shuddering into his shoulder and breaking down so that he could hardly stand, it was just too much.

He sniffed loudly, almost inhaling the salty tears that had long since left his eyelids and ran down his face. He stopped feeling guilty for crying when he was meant to be strong. His shoulder was still dry which meat Sasuke couldn't cry still, so Naruto would cry for him and show him it was okay. The baby, too, carried on crying with them, unhappy in the upsetting atmosphere her fathers were creating. Naruto was unsuccessful shushing her, he smiled sadly at the thought of him needing 'magic arms' like Sasuke and kissed the side of her tiny head. "Sas." He said gently. "Come here, I need to calm her and you need to sit down." The raven stood a little bit and Naruto manoeuvred them to the wooden chair underneath the window. He sat Sasuke down and moved the baby to a better position in his arms, then lying her on a changing mat and changing her nappy efficiently. He'd got pretty good at it, being a fast learner, Sasuke was perfect with everything but he hadn't learn how to change a nappy as well as Naruto as quickly. When she was changed he pulled a baby grow out of the drawer and dressed her before lying her on her back in the unused cot and turning on the mobile that hung above it. She blinked up at the tiny dangling clouds and frogs and seemed lulled by the tinkling melodies it played as it rotated.

With a breath, he turned back to Sasuke and was not surprised to see him hunched over slightly, head in his hands with a sombre dead look, peeking through his fingers to watch the baby in her cot. Naruto walked over to him and knelt down in front of him, shocked by how tense his legs felt despite the sedated look he had now. "You can relax Sasuke." Naruto told him, knowing this tenseness was caused by the baby being out of reach. "We can't hold her all the time, she's just there, we can reach her in a second - she's safe." He felt the muscles under his hand flex as Sasuke moved, clenching his fists and bowing his head so his forehead touched the one covered in blonde hair in front of him. Naruto could tell he was trying not to cry again and touched his head affectionately, shocked when the tension broke and he spoke, voice very weak and raspy as if he had been crying all this time.

"He was so fast."

Naruto furrowed his brows and sighed, cupping the ravens face again and staring at the clenched fists in his lap. "Sasuke, he wasn't really there, what you saw wasn't real." The stillness carried on, accompanied only by the soft lullaby in the cot.

"It felt so real." There was a desperate loss of hope to his tone and Naruto couldn't hold himself back any longer. He climbed onto the chair and wrapped his arms around his lover tightly, holding onto him with all his might and feeling thankful when Sasuke clutched him back.

"It _wasn't_! It wasn't real Sasuke! I'm here! We're _safe_!" He gasped as he shouted into the ravens shoulder, hearing the shallow shaky breaths in his ear. He wanted Sasuke to believe him, he really did, he didn't want to see him this shaken.

For a good while, they sat on the chair. The sound of the tinkling baby melody accompanied hurried breaths and small sad noises. Sasuke sounded on the verge of a panic attack but Naruto had willed him to calm down and left the both of them in the tight and quieting embrace. Sasuke was finally still in his shoulder, the ferocious heartbeat he could still feel through the pale man's chest was the reminder he was still in the panicked state of mind, though it was now more out of relief. The blonde was still upset over the thought of his boyfriend sitting there downstairs for a whole hour clinging to their child as if she was going to be taken. For an hour he must have had all manner of things and scenarios going through his head as he sat frozen to the couch. It must have been terrifying.

He also knew though, this odd behaviour was not solely caused by the 'sighting' of Itachi, it was merely a trigger. Sasuke had dealt with a lot of pain in his past and these days had a lot of stress issues. With the Akatsuki activity not too long ago with the baby's parents still looming over him as well as the downfall in work and a lack of a regular sleep/eating routine, Sasuke was not in his best state anyway. On top of all this, he had suddenly had the responsibility of a baby thrown upon him and with the thought of someone finally taking away what he'd finally managed to get back in his life, he'd snapped. Naruto was amazed he'd lasted this long, though Sasuke was always a very strong person. He would blame himself though. Tomorrow, once the stress levels had gone down, he'd just see this one incident by itself and think of himself as a weak failure. He'd isolate himself and make it worse, Naruto didn't want that.

"Sas, listen," The blonde began, rubbing soothing circles into Sasuke's back. "Tomorrow, don't make things worse by blaming yourself. You're human, you've been stressed, and you're allowed to have emotions. Just...don't shut yourself away and feel embarrassed. I don't think you're weak." It was all he could say to try and lessen tomorrow effects.

Sasuke sighed softly and buried his face into the front of Naruto's shirt, sniffing loudly. The blonde smiled and kissed the top of his head, then pulling back to press a firm yet wet from tears kiss to his lips. Sasuke was still at first but then threaded his fingers through Naruto's blonde hair and shakily kissed him back. Naruto was just glad to feel him again, the atmosphere was clearing, and just to clear it up some more, he stood and moved the chair with Sasuke still on it, next to the baby cot. He crawled back into the raven's lap and kissed him again before curling up in his chest like the baby often did. Maybe it would make Sasuke feel a little stronger. And in the sickly sweet lullaby atmosphere, two of the three fell asleep.

---

"Naruto?" The blonde looked up from the kitchen table as he was called quietly, and raised his eyebrows in question. "Where's the sugar?" His eyebrows then furrowed in thought before he shrugged.

"I haven't moved it, you're the secret sugar addict." He replied, sending a smile the raven's way to show the humour, though Sasuke didn't return it. Naruto grimaced and carried on reading his newspaper, he'd been treading on thin ice all morning, trying not to set Sasuke off. So far he had not isolated himself like he'd promised but everything about him was tense and skittish. He'd not raised his voice much above a whisper since he woke up and only spoke at all when necessary. The baby was strapped to his front and Naruto could feel the nervous glances he kept getting every five minutes as if the raven was checking he was still there at the table behind him.

"I can't find it." The Uchiha stated and Naruto stood up to search through the cupboards, frowning when he couldn't find any. He was pretty positive the sugar jar had been by the kettle like it always was.

"That's weird...I can't find the bag we fill the jar up with either, it was right here yesterday!" He mused aloud and looked through the lower cupboards that usually contained bleach and cleaning products, figuring it couldn't hurt. "You sure you didn't take it in your office or anything?"

"No." Came the meek reply.

"Um..." The blonde scratched his head with one hand, drumming his fingers on the worktop with the other. "Want me to go get some from round the corner?" He suggested and bit his lip when Sasuke frowned.

"No." He said definitely, features twitching as if he were enduring an internal struggle. It had been happening all morning, Naruto trying to act normal (albeit a little toned down) and Sasuke trying not to show weakness. The atmosphere was fake and tense.

Not able to help it, Naruto cupped Sasuke's face and kissed him, he didn't want to see him like this, he needed to relax. The raven shyly kissed back but pulled away and seemed to make an internal decision before he turned to leave.

"Sas, wh-"

"You won't go will you?"

The blonde paused at the question. What was he talking about? Did he mean go as in to the shop for sugar? Or leave the house in general? Or leave as in leave the relationship?

Well it was a 'no' to any one of those questions.

"No, I'm staying."

Sasuke nodded and left a bewildered Naruto standing in the kitchen as he watched the raven disappear into his office. He was surprised he'd left his side, he'd been next to Naruto all morning like a shadow. The door to the office was left ajar however, something Sasuke never usually did and Naruto suspected Sasuke had left it so that he could always look out and see Naruto if he wanted to.

For now he left Sasuke alone, though he would keep checking up on him. He knew the man was trying to stop himself feeling weak by distancing himself and to an extent that was good as it got him out of the habit of being co-dependent and clingy. If he did it too much too often and too soon though, it would just cause him a lot more stress and he'd become solitary and depressed.

"Jeez...you're harder work than a baby." Naruto muttered towards the direction of the office, sighing and picking up his newspaper again, thoughts of missing sugar circulating somewhere in his mind.

---

_Two months previous._

_._

_._

_From a dated open window, an elderly woman sat and reflected back on her life. Her gaze was trained to the couple sat on a swing chair in the sun at the front of the house. They were embracing with all the leisure of a Sunday morning, surrounded by patches of deep blue __Caryopteris__ flowers and enveloped by cherry trees. Sunlight fell upon them, lighting up the tired but happy expressions on their faces. From the cooler shade inside her bedroom, Taiyou Momochi watched her daughter and son in law talking quietly and smiled to herself - all the features of a wise old woman present on her face._

_In the next few weeks, her daughter would give birth to her first child, giving Taiyou all the pleasures of a grandchild. She smiled down at her lap at the tiny satin shoes that had once been Haku's and would soon be the baby's. She was amazed by the speed of life, she could still remember Haku in these tiny satin booties, little feet learning to walk through the small house, as if it were yesterday. Of course, her husband, Tako, was there too, sadly he had passed when Haku was just five years old. _

_And now it was her turn. _

_She sighed sadly, shaking the feeling off. She had known this was coming for a long time, she had done her grieving and her crying and she was ready for her death. She wished Haku would accept it too, her daughter was still in denial, telling her she had years left. She knew she didn't, it would just be weeks now. All she wanted was to see her grandchild before she went, it was what she was hanging on for._

_Their family was a small one, Zabuza and Haku and her. She figured it would soon just be Zabuza and Haku to love the child, and love it they would. She knew that Zabuza had a brother but he had been missing for some time. She frowned at the thought of the man, Kakuzu. All she knew about him was that he was interested in nothing but himself and his money, Zabuza didn't talk about him much. In a way, maybe it was a good thing Kakuzu could not be in the baby's life. It was such a shame for some people, the way their life had to be. _

_Taiyou put down the silk booties and walked slowly over to the door, feeling her body protest at the movement, her muscles were dangerously weak but she refused to go simply lying around like a useless old woman, even if that _was_ what she had become now. She made her way to the kitchen and found the chilled jug of lemonade in the fridge, putting it on a tray along with two glasses. She lifted the heavy tray, wincing in pain as her body stung with the effort. She ignored the pain and fought through it, taking the tray outside to the front yard, trying to look like it wasn't an effort at all. Her daughter, however, was never fooled by her attempts and gasped when she saw Taiyou approaching. Zabuza was up quicker than his pregnant wife could manage and he took the tray from his mother in law's arms. Haku fussed and made her sit in the chair, scolding her for pushing herself. Taiyou simply smiled, feeling proud of her achievement of carrying the tray outside, even if it were only a small one. She shushed her daughter and laid her hands on the bump that her grandchild was settled inside, chuckling when she felt a kick and remembering Haku kicking inside her all those years ago. She kissed her daughter on the cheek and lay back in the chair. The scent of the flowers wafted around the hot atmosphere and the sun beat down on the three of them, cool lemonade not going unneeded. Sitting there, swinging gently next to her three most precious people in her tiny little Mongolian village...this was a good life. She was happy. _

_

* * *

_

.

Naruto sighed as he heard the baby squeaking in her baby basket and rolled onto his side to shush her before Sasuke woke up. She was lying on her back and kicking her arms and legs impatiently, babbling nonsense and he raised his eyebrows tiredly at her, brushing back sweaty blonde locks before poking his finger into the basket.

"It's not playtime you know." He said sternly as she grabbed onto his finger happily. "Daddy's trying to sleep..." He couldn't help smiling when she pulled on his hand and squealed happily and then grimaced when she put his finger into her gummy mouth and sucked on it. The feel of her gums was an odd one and he shuddered, taking his hand out again and biting his lip when she began to make the telltale expressions of a tantrum. "Shuushhh! Shush it's okay! Please don't cry!" He begged but she squawked and hiccupped and he swore before picking her up and cradling her. "Please don't cry...everybody has cried enough lately..." He whispered, rocking with her gently as he looked towards his lover lying in bed. Sasuke had been practically falling asleep at his desk with exhaustion when Naruto went in at midnight. Every time before that, the raven had told him he was fine and to leave him alone. By midnight Naruto had insisted he come to bed and after a small battle of wills, Sasuke picked up their sleeping child and brought her upstairs to bed. Relieved, Naruto collapsed into bed, surprised when Sasuke fell asleep almost instantly, it usually took the Uchiha a long time to fall asleep while it took him minutes but tonight it was the opposite. Sasuke had almost collapsed into bed and fell asleep instantly after hearing Naruto promise he and the baby would be there when he woke up. Naruto had a million and one things running through his head and had been lying there running his fingers through Sasuke's raven hair and letting them circulate. He had just been finally nodding odd when the baby woke up.

Just as he thought the infant was quietening, she gulped in air and began crying louder. He whined quietly, gathering her tighter and burying his face into her shoulders. He didn't like hearing her cry. The hunger tears were different, if she was bored or hungry she would cry but it was just noise, the baby squawking was even kind of cute. This crying was different, it was as if she knew how her parents were feeling, it sounded genuinely upset and pained. Naruto couldn't help but feel like crying too. All of this was just not right: Sasuke, collapsed out of self inflicted exhaustion and stress while he held their new baby, adopted only because his friends and her parents had been killed needlessly. He screwed his eyes shut as thoughts of Haku and Zabuza leaked in, he had been trying not to think of them too much, not because he didn't want to but because he was trying to be strong for Sasuke. Sasuke needed him right now and Naruto couldn't sit around and grieve, it wouldn't help their situation. But sat here now with Sasuke asleep and the orphaned child of his friends crying in his arms, he could help let a few tears leak through his eyelids. He tried to be strong for other people but his facade was easily broken at times like this when he was tired and had a million thoughts running through his mind.

He wept quietly into the baby's shoulder, remembering his friends, Haku's warm eyes and reassuring embrace. Weekends down at the pub with her and Zabuza, the man's sarcastic sense of humour and words of advice he always gave Naruto. Every time he looked at the baby in his arms, he saw them in her, and god it hurt. Why did they have to be killed? Why them? Why anyone? He wondered if his daughter missed her real parents. In a way she still didn't feel like his, in a way he didn't want her to, he kept wishing she could be with her real parents but he knew that was silly. Nobody could take back what had happened, it was already done. They were dead.

"Silly baby...now...you've...made daddy...cry!" He sobbed quietly, trying not to be too loud and wake Sasuke, his boyfriend needed the sleep.

He wasn't sure when he finally laid the baby back down to rest and fell back to sleep. For some time after he began crying he'd just held her silently in the dark room. Thoughts of Haku, Zabuza, his new job, his lover and all the problems he was facing in life ran through his mind for the majority of his time awake. He wondered if he'd get the job or not, he wished horrible things on Sasuke's brother, he wished the Akatsuki would be arrested. He thought about Iruka and how he felt about him, he wondered what his real parents had been like and wondered if his daughter would wonder the same things in the future. He prayed Sasuke would feel better and that he would be able to draw his manga again. All the thoughts he usually kept out of his head he let lose. Tomorrow he would have to put them to the back of his mind again and put his mask back on. He would act strong and look after his family and bear the burden of everybody's problems on his shoulders, but for now, in the cooling dark bedroom, he just let his mind be.

* * *

So there it is! I have a rough idea of chapter six an I now have the major events plotlines out so I know where thigns are going, there are a lot of things which will happen once the story gets further along in the plot. Sorry for the angsty weepiness of this chapter but it's got to be in there in places, I hope Kiba managed to lighten the mood a little at least! Tsunade will have a significant part in this story and Kakashi+Iruka will be coming back into it a lot more along with a few other of my favourite characters. I want everybody to be involved, Gaara will be significant also. I'm still undecided on KakaIra haha you never know what could happen, if you think there should be KakaIru let me know in a review :p

Please stick around for chapter six! Please Review!!!


	6. No matter what, a father is a father

**Remember me? Okay so I know you probably hate me right now, right? I'm sorry I left, I promise I'll sleep on the sofa for as long as you want.**

**Seriously though guys life's been pretty busy, I look at the last update though and see it was from 2010 and I feel awful, you'll probably have to go back and read a lot of this again to even remember what it is about ;_;**

**I've changed a lot since those last chapters, I'll be heading to university in a month and generally I'm not who I was, though, my aims for this story haven't changed and I hope I'm better at writing now than then. Hopefully this chapter wont sound too much different as truth be told, it's been on my computer in this state since last year but I never had the heart to post becuse I thought it wasn't good enough or was too short etc**

**I'm not going to say 'yeah I'm back on track and the next chapter will be out next week' becuase I said that last time and here we are a year later "ORZ but I promise no matter how long it takes this story WILL get finished. I don't even know if you guys care about this any more, does anybody still read this?**

**So yeah, just remember I will finish this even if it takes time, life can be difficult.**

* * *

**.**

**.  
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_No matter what, a father is a father_

.

.

This was not the first time this week that this had happened.

Sakura lay in bed, stomach queasy while she nursed it with clammy hands, willing her insides to stay where they were. It was five am, still dark, the room was silent aside from the clock ticking on the wall and she concentrated on the noise. It distracted her from the acids in her abdomen swirling around if she just focused on the small, tick, tick, ticking from across the room and her husband's gentle snores. She sat up, trying to get comfy as the room began swirling, still caressing her abused tummy wistfully.

It lasted on and off for ten minutes before she was up and running to the bathroom, heaving once or twice before throwing up in the toilet bowl. She hated puking, she saw enough of it, being a doctor, but when it actually happened to _her_ it was different.

_Disgusting._

She pulled some tissue off the roll and wiped her mouth with it, grimacing at the trails of mucus clinging between her lips and the papery material. She located the glass that had taken up residence by the sink and filled it, spitting the acidic contents of her mouth into the basin before sipping the cool substance. It tasted like chemicals but it was better than the sour burning feeling clogging up her oesophagus before.

Her stomach ached dully as she leaned over the flush the toilet and rid the bathroom of the smell. She'd gotten used to it in the hospital but that didn't make it any more pleasant in her own home. It reminded her of the _feeling_ of vomiting and that was all but unbearable.

Warm hands brought themselves around the back of her neck and gently pulled her sweaty hair out of her eyes. She smiled at the gesture, her husband was good to her, never giving her reason to be angry, always looking out for her.

"This is your fault." She joked weakly, throat feeling like sandpaper. She sipped more water.

"I'm sorry." Her husband's voice was genuine and she flinched at its apologetic tone, leaning back into the speakers arms.

"I was kidding Lee, this is nothing, it's worth it, I should be thanking you." She insisted, placing a small kiss to his temples in apology, content when he smiled and caressed her burning abdomen with feather-like touches.

_You never gave up on me._

"I'm getting a shower; I'm not working today anyway." She tried to move to start the shower up but Lee reached over her and turned it on before leaning back to stroke her hair again. She closed her green eyes at the relaxing feeling it brought her.

She had always been strong and fierce for a girl but he was taller, harder, he had wide warm hands and a secure protective heart. She always allowed herself to feel small and dainty in his arms, not having to be the strong one for a change.

"You rest today." He told her and she laughed lightly as he peeled her out of her clammy nightie.

"I have a check-up and then I'm going to see Sasuke and Naruto. I doubt I'll get any rest with those two. I wonder what crisis their having this time?"

Lee laughed too, pulling his T-shirt off. It was early, earlier than he'd usually get up due to Sakura's sickness. He had time to waste and he loved to spend time with his wife.

She fussed when he kissed a soft trail down her neck, telling him she looked like hell. "Don't be silly." He told her, studying her accusation. She had slightly damp hair, a flushed face, peach skin covered with a couple of stretch marks on her thighs, shining in the bathroom lights, a slightly rounded tummy with an outy bellybutton and vibrant green eyes. She was human, perfect, his.

_Home._

"You're beautiful." He told her. Sure, in a little black dress she was sexy but he loved her equally in a pair of old shorts and one of his oversized T-shirts with a headband in on a Sunday morning. He liked her best when she was herself.

The shower was soothing as Sakura stepped in accompanied by Lee who held her gently as the war water ran over them. Instantly her muscles began relaxing, the tense knots undoing themselves as his heartbeat flooded in through his ribcage and her ears. She wished they could stay here forever, holding each other in nothing but the bodies they were born in - before the chaos of the day began. Worry always floated around on the edges of her mind when the day began. Lee was brilliant at his job on the police force. He was a hard worker, he'd put many horrible people in prison, she was proud of him.

_You could get hurt._

It was her only worry. Especially now. She treated many of the police force in the hospital and was friends with every one of them. In some random way, all of the people in her life were connected and nothing hurt more than having to see her friends hurt. Every time she treated Kakashi or Gaara she wondered if Lee would be the one on the hospital bed next, or worse, in the operating theatre.

She often treated him with minor injuries but they were more from his other hobby come job in life at the martial arts school his guardian ran with him. Ever since she'd see Haku and Zabuza breathe their last in front of her though it became harder for her to let Lee go to his main place of work. She had to though, for him, she would never hold him back from anything he loved to do and all he loved doing was keeping people safe.

_Like me._

"Be careful today, Lee."

_I can't lose you. _

As if he heard her afterthought, the man pulled her closer to him, massaging her back muscles with his large hands to ease her tension. She smiled into his chest. "I love you."

.

* * *

.

Sasuke's eyes hurt.

This was the fourth, fifth, sixth hour? He'd lost count of the time but for an irrational amount of time he'd been sitting at the computer. The brightness of the screen was causing a sharp throbbing pain somewhere behind his eyeballs. He could almost feel the radiation setting it.

Naruto had been in twice and Sasuke could sense he was moody. It had been a week since the job interview and the blonde was losing patience fast, it didn't help that for the same week he'd been waiting for the phone call, Sasuke had been locked in his office doing what he was doing right now.

Hacking into the National Police records.

It was easy, for a genius, thankfully something Sasuke had been born into. It was only a moderate challenge to acquire access to private information and keep himself untraceable. He grimaced as he realised how easy it would be for a genius to be a criminal _or_ a hero. His brother had gone down the wrong path and here he was trying to make up for it. The stuff he hacked for was the kind of information usually kept out of the public eye, deemed too dangerous or upsetting for people to know. The sort of thing you were kept out of for your own peace of mind. Sasuke didn't feel at peace of mind. He didn't know enough.

He'd been tracking Akatsuki since he was a teenager and had figured out how to move on from hacking small businesses to larger ones. The first time he'd managed to get into the National Police records was a rush to him, finally able to find out everything that had happened with his family death and with his brother in the current days. It also gave him his share of depression and anxiety for a few weeks but after that it became his addiction. He tracked his brother day and night, swearing he'd get revenge on him, hoping he'd figure out something in all the unseen evidence that the police wouldn't. He felt powerful, knowledgeable, and confident he knew where his brother was and how close the police were to him. His frustration only came into place when they didn't know anything and therefore neither did he. When he sat down to eat dinner with Kakashi, he was certain he knew everything his guardian did.

It did make him slightly guilty betraying Kakashi and looking into records behind his back, however, Kakashi was forbidden to say anything that was kept in confidentiality and therefore Sasuke had to go behind his back. He _had _to know everything Kakashi did. He had to know he was safe.

He'd floated in and out of periods of hacking, sometimes the usual drill of normal life along with lack of Akatsuki activity distracted him from suck a task. He always cursed himself and became obsessive again after an Akatsuki event that nobody saw coming, he condemned himself, drilling it into his head that he should have seen it coming and thinking about how he could have prevented it had he learnt more. He became stuck to his computer again. Like now.

The events of last week had shaken him down to the very marrow inside his bones. The tiny potential even imagined sighting of his brother had snapped him. It had been so long. Before Haku and Zabuza the Akatsuki had not caused a disturbance in a long time. In that time Sasuke had published a multimillion selling manga series, able to work and live without the distraction in his life. Haku and Zabuza had been a shock, one that Sasuke again hated himself for. Just like before thoughts of '_why weren't you tracking them! You could have seen this coming!' _flooded his mind. He blamed himself for such events, especially that one, which had upset his lover a lot. His own brother had caused that, one that still hadn't got the punishment he deserved. Somehow he knew that day a week ago hadn't been a coincidence, Naruto still told him he imagined it but he just had a horrible feeling deep down that it had been real.

He couldn't get distracted again, he had to prevent anything happening, he could sense something looming ever since Haku and Zabuza had died and he couldn't shake it away. If he kept tracking like he used to, then he felt he could prevent another attack on those close to him. He didn't want to see Naruto upset again, what mattered more than anything was that he protected his...family. The word still felt foreign on his tongue. After he'd gone through so much to finally achieve family again, it was precious and unlike before, this time he was confident he had to stop any harm coming to them.

When he heard the jangling of keys in the front door, he sighed. The baby, who had been lying comfortably in her woven basket beside him, squealed as she knew who it was. Sasuke lowered a hand and brushed her cheek gently; knowing Naruto or Sakura would come in to play with her in a few minutes. It was hard, doing what he did and keeping his family together. Each time Naruto tried to take him out or touch him too fondly he refused the administrations and put more strain on their relationship. The worried look in his lover's eyes was hard to ignore and so was the down heartened glance when the blonde mumbled he'd leave Sasuke to it and vacated his office to be alone again. What Sasuke was doing though, he felt would save them, so any little strains on the relationship would become insignificant in the end. Once he had something, anything, some kind of reassurance or lead on Akatsuki...then he could feel calmer and spend time with his family.

That was if he found good news and not bad.

He questioned the moment where his life had gotten so complicated.

_When Itachi killed your family - that's when._

He fought off the sudden ache inside him and faced the computer again, one hand still playing with the baby's absentmindedly. He read. Clicked. Read. Clicked.

* * *

Outside the office, Sakura was observing her best friend's actions sceptically. From the behaviour she had seen from Naruto in her first two minutes of being in the house she knew something was bothering him. He was as see through as glass to her. Newly made, factory polished one hundred percent transparent glass. Not only could she _see _something was bothering him from the way he kept nervously scratching his neck or how he kept knocking into things and pacing but she could feel and hear it too. His frustrated expression practically screamed '_I'm going through a crisis! HELP ME!' _

"Naruto." She got his attention quietly.

"Yes!" He answered a little too quickly as if she were accusing him of something he knew he was guilty of. He coughed into his fist and straightened out, attempting to look un-frustrated.

"What is up with you?" She asked bluntly, watching as he floundered for a few seconds, jaw bobbing like a fish before he laughed and shrugged the question off.

"Ah, nothing, nothing to worry about anyway, I'm fine!"

"Oh good." She said chirpily and stood from the sofa, crossing the distance between them and smacking him across the head.

"OW! The hell was that for!" He squealed, falling onto one of the sofas from the hit's force and nursing his cranium.

"Don't you _dare _lie to me Uzumaki! That little act you have going may work for idiots but not on me!" She scolded and ignored the pout he sent her. "For the little time I've been in here you've done nothing but pace and look towards Sasuke's office and fumble around like some terrified little kid on his first day of school! Do you seriously think I won't notice that! Are you TRYING to make me out to be a fool!" With each sentence she grew louder and took a step closer to him until he was pressing his back into the back of the couch with her fist inches from his face.

"No mam!" He squeaked, clinging to the chair for dear life before sighing in relief when she rolled her eyes and withdrew.

"Really Naruto you are an idiot sometimes...go and put the kettle on and we can talk it out. Oh and DON'T ever lie to me again!" She commanded and he gave a salute before stumbling towards the kitchen wondering what was making Sakura unusually crabby.

She made herself comfortable while the kettle boiled, looking at her surroundings and noting the living room was tidier than normal. She was playing with the fibres of her top when Naruto returned holding two mugs of tea, one of which he passed to her. She thanked him and left it on the coffee table to cool, Naruto did the same before flopping down next to her with a sigh that signalled he was giving up pretending he was okay.

"Sakura-Chan...does Lee ever..." He began and then frowned at himself as if he was annoyed at his own confusion. "Are there times when he's just...distant?" Blue eyes looked up questioningly, some unspoken next sentence lingering in them as if he were afraid to acknowledge it but hoped someone would notice. Sakura always did and she sighed heavily, wondering how to answer and giving her friend the chance to further explain. "Like, what if one day he won't talk to you or spend time with you...and you don't even know why...you wonder what you've done to upset him but you know really that you've done nothing and it's his problem but it just...how do you talk to him about it without making him angry? _Is_ he ever angry?" For the majority of his fumbled sentences he'd been talking into his knees, almost as if to himself but at the last few questions he'd looked up again with that same unknown expression in his eyes. Sakura frowned empathetically, knowing he probably knew the answer to the question he wasn't really asking, however Naruto liked to hear things out loud.

"He is rarely like that with me." She answered simply. "There are times after he's gone through a horrible experience at work, that he comes home and he'd rather be alone until he'd ready for me to comfort him. A couple of times he's got angry when his work friends have died on duty and he's had to witness it, but that's only natural – death can cause people to act like they normally wouldn't."

Naruto took this information in and thought about it, he couldn't picture Lee getting angry or breaking things or raising his voice aggressively to Sakura. He could imagine Sasuke doing these things, at least before the baby.

"Something is happening with him." He stated quietly after a couple of seconds of silence, Sakura had been waiting for him to speak though he didn't seem to know how to continue. He looked like this conversation was painful to him, clutching round his legs protectively like he wanted to avoid carrying on but at the same time was desperate for some kind of resolve. He looked a lot more like the child Sakura used to know.

"What's happening with him, Naruto?" She made the decision for him, it was better to talk and get the painful part out of the way when problems started rather than avoiding it and having a harder time later.

"I don't know." He answered, voice breaking slightly as if he were crying but Sakura didn't think he was yet, she couldn't tell as his forehead was resting on his knee. "We've always had fights but they didn't mean anything but lately with his work and stuff...it's different from the other times...before the baby...I thought it was just a bad few weeks for him but now I look and it's like the start of something worse..." His fists clenched in frustration around his legs and his voice wavered as he tried to orally make sense of his thoughts. "Sometimes he's like he's always been but most of the time he's just...it's like he's a different person Sakura! It's different, I don't know why but it is, it feels different..."

"You're scared for him, for his health and your relationship." Sakura said gently, because he needed to acknowledge it aloud. She saw him nod into his knee, hearing a wet sniff and knowing he was crying now. She hated to see him so broken, she moved from her sofa and onto his smaller one, sitting beside him and touching his back reassuringly, her head on his shoulder. It always used to be the other way around, he had always been the person who gave her strength and reassured her. She was glad she was now strong and could do this for him. "A lot of things have happened lately." She whispered, no longer needing to talk any louder, rubbing circles into his back. "His job, your job, Haku and Zabuza, the baby, the Akatsuki..." She trailed off, wondering why life always had to be so hard on her two best friends. "People go through phases and rebounds and difficult times, all this stress at once...it can do funny things to people."

"Something happened last week." The blonde said tonelessly and Sakura asked what, not expecting the information. "When I went for my job interview I came back and he was..." He tensed and Sakura could tell this memory was painful for him. "He thought he'd seen his brother in the house...it was just him and the baby in...I told him that he was just seeing things but it's...it's done something to him!"

The body next to hers was shaking a little and she felt terrible for him, not realising the intensity of their relationship problems until now. She took his arms and pulled him into her body so she could cradle him in an embrace. He clung to her and tried not to sob into her collarbone, feeling stupid for crying so much. "He won't talk, he won't eat...he spends all day in his office but I'm sure he's not drawing and he won't tell me what he _is _doing...he looked depressed and broken and he won't hardly let the baby out of his sight but he won't look at me but he gets edgy if I try and leave the house or the living room..." He frantically talked, breathing in shudders as she got a picture of the past week of his life. "I don't know what to do!" He sobbed and she tightened her hold on him reassuringly.

"Naruto, nobody would know what to do, you don't need to have all the answers."

"I always know what to do with everyone...I always help people...why can't I do it with him? Why is it always so hard with him?" He asked, sounding far too old and weary for someone so young.

"It's always harder with the people you love." Sakura sighed, stroking his hair gently. "It sounds like he needs help, Naruto."

"He won't let me."

"Professional help, honey." She corrected herself, speaking gently so she didn't worry him with the term, the endearing tones did not stop him tensing in her arms.

"Is it...is he really that bad?" He sounded scared and Sakura knew he just wanted Sasuke to be okay, Naruto was selfless, as long as the people he cared about were well, he was happy.

"I don't know." She answered honestly. "It's hard with him because he'd been through so much, he's difficult to work out. It sounds like he's not coping at all but we should wait another week or two before deciding."

"I don't like this..." He said sadly and she inhaled deeply.

"Me neither."

"I just want him to be okay, I want him to love me again." The end of his sentence sounded choked and Sakura frowned.

"He _does_ love you Naruto, it's part of the reason he's so difficult, he always looses the people he loves, he's terrified of losing you."

"He's stubborn." The blonde mumbled deadpan and Sakura laughed short and void of much genuine humour.

"He is. So are you though, it's why I'm here to stop you both being so stupid." She said and heard him grumble into her chest. "Sit up." She told him and after a groan the blonde moved, she held his hands tightly and told him to look at her. His face was wet and his eyes had the slightly haunted look to them that she really didn't like seeing. For Naruto to start losing hope was like the end of the world, of him. "He loves you." She said definitely. "He's hurting and he's confused and he's scared. He's never been good with his emotions and he doesn't know what to do with them, it's why you're here to teach him." She brought her hands up, still holding his and cupped his face with them. Naruto looked up at her and she again saw the small child he used to be. "You never give up Naruto, it's why he loves you, you never give up on him – don't start now. You're not alone in this, we're all here to help you and Sasuke."

"Do you really think he needs to see a doctor?" She could tell the thought of this scared him, it was like admitting there really was a serious problem.

"Probably." She sighed and forced him to keep his chin up as his face began to fall. "But, for now, we can help him ourselves. He needs you to love him, try to understand him. We'll do our best too and we can help push the silly fears out of his head and then maybe he won't need help."

Naruto nodded and she smiled. "We also need to help ourselves Naruto, don't ever think you're the one who has to solve everything. We can only help others if we help ourselves, don't keep your worries inside."

"Okay." He still looked a little uncertain and she frowned, letting go of his hands and hitting him lightly.

"Where's this fighting spirit of yours we all know and love!" She asked, faking annoyance, ruffling his hair to show she was just trying to cheer him. "Things will be okay Naruto." He nodded again, with a smile this time and she was satisfied. She reached for her tea and handed the blonde his while they drank in a comfortable quiet. "Honestly you two are such drama queens." Came her sigh, much to herself but she gave a wink to her friend as he looked at her sheepishly.

It was a few minutes later that Sakura finished her tea and asked where the baby was. Naruto informed with a slightly gloomy look that she was with Sasuke in his office and Sakura tutted, marching towards it and knocking on the door. "Sasuke let me in!" She ordered and smiled when the door opened partly to reveal a very tired and stressed looking man. Naruto sunk into the couch as if he were avoiding being spotted by his boyfriend who gave a glance in his direction, confirming Sakura's suspicions that Sasuke was as worried about Naruto as Naruto was about him. "Where's the child you have yet to name?" She asked and Sasuke narrowed his eyes slightly, opening the door more to reveal she was in his left arm, pulling at his T-shirt. When she saw Sakura she squealed, making her father jump and his friend laugh. Without warning she plucked the baby from his arms quickly and turned before she could see his reaction.

Naruto was the one to see, glancing up from underneath his hand and tensing when Sakura took the baby, anticipating some kind of cry or show of anger, upset, panic? He was taken aback a little when Sasuke did nothing at first, just stood with his eyes transfixed on Sakura's turning back and his arms hanging uselessly where the baby was before as if it hadn't yet registered. After a few seconds Sasuke went to move forward but seemed to think twice and stopped mid footstep, drawing back, before doing the same again as if he didn't know what to do. His expression held confusion and desperation and Naruto felt his heart clenching at the pain on his boyfriends face, the loss of life inside him, the emptiness in his eyes, the confusion in his stance. Sakura's words resounded in his head.

_He needs help._

Naruto felt his eyes prickle and blinked furiously, burying his head under the pillow again so he didn't have to look at Sasuke anymore. This whole situation was pulling him in every direction.

He looked up again when a door banged and saw Sasuke had gone and the office door was shut again. Sakura looked worried and saddened, shaking her head remorsefully before bringing the baby over to Naruto and sitting with her. The subject of her name was mentioned and Naruto snorted, informing her that Sasuke probably didn't know his own name at the minute, let alone anybody else's. Sakura sighed and kissed the baby's head affectionately.

On the other side of the office door, Sasuke was shaking, having slid down it and scraped his back on the harsh wood, clutching his face angrily. He couldn't begin to make sense of the feelings inside him. Anger. He wanted to hurt somebody. Not necessarily Sakura, she didn't know any better. He just wanted somebody to hurt. He wanted to hurt himself for feeling this pathetically scared and weak. He wanted to scream, to throw things. To run inside the living room, snatch the baby and clutch her to him protectively. Every inch of his emotional being just hurt.

Had he been paying attention, he would probably have noticed the orange light flashing on his laptop hard drive, signalling it was processing information without his knowing. Information he wasn't sending nor receiving.

.

* * *

.

.

"Why are we in the middle of the fucking high-street?" The question was asked as the man responsible, kicked his foot towards an innocent pigeon in his path.

"Because it stands out less if we act like normal people." Came a grunted reply.

"Is that why we're wearing such stupid clothing?"

"Yes. Now shut the fuck up before I cut your fucking head off."

"Tch. What is it with you and decapitation man? Some kind of weird fetish or something? I bet you're into creepy shit like necrophilia aren't you?" The younger of the two sneered and avoided a swipe to the face.

"Fuck off!" The other warned, not too loudly as not to draw attention, watching as his assigned partner snorted and walks off ahead of him. He'd catch him up later and just hoped he wouldn't do anything stupid while he wasn't there to threaten him. Then again, despite acting like a psychopath he was still Akatsuki. 'Stupid' just wasn't in Akatsuki vocabulary.

The two were out doing what most of the other members were in different locations around the region – travelling, laying low, scouting information. Kakuzu had chosen to take them through the high-street, bored of abandoned buildings and worn out pathways. It was necessary for them not to stand out and they had abandoned their usual smart Akatsuki uniform in the place of normal high-street clothing so they didn't stand out from anybody else. Their faces had never been caught on a clear photograph before so nobody would recognise them. Nobody was to know two mass murderers and dangerous criminals were walking amongst them. Kakuzu wondered what would happen if they did, all he envisioned was a lot of screaming and running and he snorted. There was no use for running, why did he have reason to waste time and energy killing civilians? Despite everybody assuming the Akatsuki were psychos who got off on the thought of death, they wouldn't kill without good reason. Besides they wouldn't be sold for much.

He caught Hidan up in the middle of a park, on his back in some grass making symbols with his hands in the air. He would have kicked the ridiculous sight if it wouldn't cause a lot of noise and attention to be drawn to them. "Get the fuck up off the ground." He said instead, sick of the man's antics.

"I can't, I'm doing a ritual!"

"Well I'm sick of your fucking rituals!" Kakuzu yelled and growled when a bunch of teenagers looked to him curiously, wanting to tell them to mind their own fucking business. He sighed angrily and lowered his voice again.

"It's not like I enjoy them. I have to follow the rules of Jashin religion." Hidan said calmly but with a tone of amusement as if making Kakuzu lose his cool made him overjoyed. It did.

"Just hurry up." The latter snarled and turned his head up to the sky. The clouds were wispy and looked like cigarette smoke. He used to smoke, however, it had turned out to be too expensive so he quit. If smoking were not against Jashin religion, he was sure Hidan would smoke just to annoy him. "I hate you." He said quietly at the thought and walked away from the sight of his co-worker on the ground, for it infuriated him too much. He walked away and headed back to the high-street without telling his partner where he was going.

"Don't buy an expensive coffee now, wouldn't want to waste money." Hidan said calmly from the grass as if reading his mind.

It took all the strength in Kakuzu's body for him not to turn round and kill the man where he lay.

.

.

* * *

.

"SASUKE!"

The Uchiha was expecting the furious knocking on his office door, he turned towards it meekly and mumbled a 'what'. He felt guilty for thinking it but he wasn't in the mood for Naruto right now. He'd been searching for information for several more hours (to no result) without the company of his daughter and he was irritated.

He twitched but otherwise stayed quiet when his boyfriend dived on him and embraced him tightly. He was too exhausted to put up much of a fight. "I got the job!"

It was gasped into his ear and a small part of him relaxed and let out a sigh. The irritation inside him was glad the blonde wouldn't be moping about it any more and would be less agitated but the bigger more sympathetic side of him fought the feeling off. He was truly glad he'd got the job, he wouldn't have to be worried any more.

"Good." He spoke quietly and buried his face into the blonde's shoulder as some of the pent up tension ran out of him. He felt pathetic again like he had done last week when they were in the same position. He couldn't move though, he had no strength. This was the closest they had been to each other voluntarily in a week, he'd missed this somewhat. He cursed his own weakness.

"I've missed you." Naruto mumbled against his cheek, the sound vibrated through into his mouth and became his own. The hug stopped being about the job and started being about them. He wanted to say he was sorry but it wouldn't come out, just as 'I missed you too' never came out. He cursed being weak again. He didn't even know what weakness was any more. The strength to say your true feelings? Or the ability to put emotion aside for the safety of your family?

His arms found their way around Naruto's back before he could stop them and Naruto held him tighter. He wished he wouldn't, he was trying to reassure but again it made him feel weak.

_I love you._

That was never said either. He looked upwards out of intuition and saw Sakura stood, nursing their baby in her arms. She tried to hide the grave, somewhat sorry expression on her face but Sasuke had seen it before she wiped it away with a smile and a small nod. She looked guilty when he let Naruto go and turned back to his computer.

The blonde looked somewhat awkward and kissed the side of his head before turning to leave. Sasuke ignored it. He couldn't get the look on Sakura's face out of his head. She seemed to know something he didn't. It had been a look of genuine worry and sympathy. For a moment he shared the same feeling, glancing to the door as it closed.

"I'm sorry." The words were whispered, chalky on his tongue. It felt empty. Like a promise he'd made and not fulfilled.

_I'm sorry._

In his head, the words felt full. Why wouldn't they feel the same when spoken? What was he sorry for?

_There's always a new day. Everything will be alright._

His mother's voice resounded at the back of his mind. Mother's were supposed to be there for you until you could stand on your own and pass on their caring knowledge.

A promise unfulfilled.

_I don't have a mother._

He told himself to stop thinking stupidly and looked back at the screen, ignoring the pang in his eyes and chest.

* * *

It has taken all Naruto's patience to force his lover to come upstairs and to bed. Sasuke gives no reason for wanting to remain downstairs. Eventually he tells him it made no difference where he slept as long as he did. The reasoning made no sense to Naruto. Downstairs he wouldn't sleep. He would compute for hours, sit awake and worry, try to draw and stress. Upstairs he would lie down, he would coax the worry from him and be lulled into sleep. The sense of routine, normality, would catch him and take him under.

He was here now, slumbering already under the spell of routine and exhaustion. "I told you so." He whispers, brushing black hair out of his lover's eyes gently. The snoring from the cot is swimming around the room and he wonders if the sound soothes Sasuke. He looks into the cot and curls his finger round some fluffy black hair. It is similar to Sasuke's, it has grown longer recently. He wonders if soon they can put a hair band in it. Does Sasuke ever compare himself to the baby? Does he ever imagine it was really his own?

He has work in the morning. The thought feels good, he will be working with plants. It is his hobby. Sasuke seemed to have picked the right place for him, he used to be in his right mind at least. Or was he ever? He remembers Sasuke's episodes. He remembers Sakura's words.

It upsets him. His lover is undergoing a breakdown, anybody can tell. He's bad with covering his emotions. He wants to comfort but he isn't allowed. He wants to look after Sasuke for a change but he won't let him. Why is he pushing him away?

He looks to the baby. Remembers the kiss in the hallway before she had been adopted, before they took her home. The excitement and anticipation in his lovers eyes. Then the new addition to their once small but stable family.

"This is all your fault." He whispers, and it sounds loud and cruel, even if it is quiet in the bedroom. He couldn't blame a child with no clue but he wanted to. He wanted to eliminate her and get his Sasuke back.

He knows if the baby disappeared, Sasuke would be worse than he is now. He'd scream and cry and never forgive himself.

_Would he do the same for me? _Naruto asks himself. He wasn't sure if he knew the answer any more. He didn't know many answers to anything any more.

_There's always a new day, everything will be alright. _

Sasuke had said that to him once. He liked the way his voice had sounded when he spoke it, as if he were remembering something that made him truly happy. He wanted to hear it again. He wanted to know everything would be alright.

* * *

Sasuke wasn't quite sure how he'd gotten here. He remembered why of course. Naruto had threatened to turn down his new job if Sasuke didn't take the baby out for a walk in the pram. He didn't want to be faced with the guilt and complications of that happening.

So here he was. His feet had taken him along the streets and towards a familiar place. Every step was difficult as he was carrying some invisible weight inside his chest. Sasuke Uchiha was not invincible. Inside he felt heavy. He physically ached. He couldn't muster any kind of expression on his face besides 'empty'.

Starbucks. He was here again, at the same day and time he had been a couple of weeks ago. He wasn't surprised to see her there. She was circling a magazine in red pen just the same. He ordered the same drink as last time and a chocolate coin. He sat in the same place, was observed, then joined by the woman.

It was nearly identical to the last time but Sasuke was a different person.

"Kid, you look like hell." Tsunade snorted, chewing the end of her pen before circling another name. Sasuke didn't respond to the statement. "Wanna tell me what's wrong?"

"I'm not Naruto."

He spoke quietly, as if volume would break him. The answer was double edged and she knew it. He used it to mean the obvious, he wasn't Naruto, therefore she wasn't a guardian figure to him, and she didn't have to mother him whenever they met. Underneath it was an answer to 'what's wrong'. He _wasn't _Naruto. He wasn't optimistic, or inspiring or a role model. To some people he was inspired for his manga and story creations, but not for himself. Those were world and pictured he'd created. They weren't real. They'd never be real. _They_ were inspiring, _he_ wasn't.

"Hmm." Tsunade hummed and drew yet another circle, she didn't speak for a while. The baby was asleep and snoring in Sasuke's arms (he'd tried to leave her in her pram but he couldn't.) The coffee and chocolate went untouched and so did the subject. Tsunade seemed to have let the underlying answer slip, instead taking the one on the surface and ceased to console him. This both settled and irritated Sasuke for reasons he couldn't explain. "Bored of coffee?"

Sasuke looked up, she was still looking to her newspaper but he could tell she wasn't paying much attention to it. It was a barrier, allowing speech but acting as a safety net should it become tense. It was a safety net for Sasuke more than her. "It's just a question." She stated, her eyes flicking upwards, testing him.

"Yes." He answered, briefly remembering the case of the missing sugar jar at home and feeling heat build in his stomach. He still suspected at the back of his mind it wasn't a coincidence. Out of instinct his eyes flicked around the place. He did not see an Akatsuki uniform, he saw normal people.

"Hmm." The noise was also a safety noise, just a hum that could mean many different things, allowing or stopping conversation. "Can I see her?"

"No."

In a second his growing frustration flared into anger and he shot the woman a piercing look, clutching his infant tighter. If she was surprised she didn't show it. As soon as it had happened he was ashamed of himself, Tsunade was good to him ad Naruto, she didn't need that. He wanted to say he was sorry but just like yesterday, he couldn't form words.

"Fine." Tsunade said, sensing his instability. In her head she was looking at a bear protecting it's cub, willing to kill anybody who came near. There was such an intense fear and anger within the man she wondered what had happened to cause it. "Tell me what happened between last week and now then."

She watched as Sasuke blinked slowly at her, eyes telling her of some logic bantering happening inside his head. She wondered what he would choose, let go of his child or his secrecy. She made a bet in her mind, circling a horse called Hope. For a moment she thought he was going to get up but then he pulled the baby closer to him and buried himself into her neck with a pained sigh.

_Poor boy._

Pity did nothing for people, it filled them up with a reminder of the fact there was something wrong and there was no help. Pity had to be followed up with a solution, it had to be reassuring then pulled back into resolve. Sadness was a storm and pity were waves, they followed and collided with one another, wind dragging the waves along and into the chaos. It caused the wind an extreme guilt, wanting to let go of the waves but not able to. Until the natural balance was restored when both found their way to the sandy beaches.

Tsunade couldn't be that wave. Not for Sasuke. She watched as he continued to keep himself close to the child, his fingers absent mindedly strolled through her hair as if it were the most natural thing in the world, a subconscious reassurance.

She couldn't be that wave, but she knew someone who could. Someone who needed the wind back in his life.

"Go home Sasuke." She spoke softly.

He looked up slightly with detached questioning. She continued. "You know what home I mean."

He stared into the coffee cup, the steam was no longer rising. "It's not my home any more." He whispered.

"If he's there, it's home, Sasuke." She insisted sternly and watched his eyes contemplate the statement before returning to her newspaper. The period of time between her closing statement and Sasuke next standing up was unknown but when he finally stood, the light outside was dimming. It was late autumn, the nights were drawn in and it was dull by this time, the small period of mid day sun had gone.

She checked her watch as the young man strapped his sleeping baby into the pram and put a woolly bonnet on her, tufts of black hair poked out the bottom and he brushed it away from her eyes. She was late for work again, she was often late for work. Shizune usually had things under control without her, she never worried.

He turned to leave, his walking stiff as if he were unused to it. As he grew further away she saw one child burdened with the life of another. "Sasuke."

He stopped and requested. "Don't."

"Listen Kid, what I said last week still stands." She snapped and sighed, packing up her newspaper. "We'll all protect her Sasuke. If you want to shut yourself out, do it, but remember we'll drag you back out of yourself like we did last time. He won't give up on you." She saw his fingers tighten on the pram handle and resisted the urge to go and embrace him. Sasuke wasn't as openly welcoming as Naruto. "Now get going to that pervert before I drag you there myself!"

Any other day and she might have seen the Uchiha smirk, today however, he nodded and left. She couldn't help but fear for him.

* * *

"Sasuke?"

Kakashi was surprised to see his son standing there on his doorstep that afternoon. Sasuke had always been independent, he'd moved out as soon as he could, not bothering with university. Sasuke wasn't a social person and had never fancied the university scene, he'd also made it quite clear he thought himself above tutors and was adamant about teaching himself and becoming successful of his own accord. Sasuke used to visit often, if only just to steal Kakashi's coffee and ask about his work day but he'd started visiting less and less. Kakashi was the one to check up on him regularly now, this was the first time in a while Sasuke had turned up without warning.

The raven walked in when his guardian stepped aside, looking over his son attentively. Nothing more had been said since Kakashi's mumble of surprise and nothing more continued to be said as they slipped into old routine. They sat at the kitchen table, Kakashi made coffee, Sasuke sat silently and just listened to the sounds around him. The same noisy rattling from the kettle that he'd been hearing since he was a child (Kakashi had brought it when he'd moved in with Iruka). The baby quietly snoring. His guardians jeans shuffling, just that little bit too long, shuffling against the floor tiles. The occasional sniff from the older man and he clinking of teaspoons and clunk of cupboard doors. The symphony of noises was familiar and soothing to him and when the rudimentary cup of coffee was placed in front of him like always, he inhaled the steam and felt the back of his mouth salivate with longing. He hadn't drank his coffee in Starbucks. The average instant brand from Kakashi's house was ten times more comforting to him than any expensive, syrup filled machine made masterpiece.

"Is there sugar in it?" Sasuke asked to break the quiet. It was normal for them, quiet, but he felt like Kakashi wanted him to speak.

"No." The silver haired man answered with a polished smile, which told Sasuke there _was _sugar in it. "I make it just the way you like it!" He insisted and his surrogate son frowned into his cup. Kakashi always snuck sugar into his coffee, not allowing him to pretend he didn't like it. Sasuke always drank it.

"Idiot." He muttered to voice his displeasure and raised the coffee to his lips regardless with the hand that wasn't clutched in the baby's fingers.

"Now now! Is that any way to speak to the one who clothed you? Fed you? Changed the sheets every time you wet the bed?" Kakashi asked in typical dramatic fashion. Sasuke wrinkled his nose in embarrassment.

"I never wet the bed."

"Well someone did and it wasn't me. I washed an awful lot of bedding in my day." He leaned back in his chair, coffee nestled in his hands and looked dramatically off to the side as if deep in reminisce. Sasuke glowered at him and sniffed out of customary annoyance. The silence returned for a while. Kakashi was the one to break it as usual. "So what brings a fine independent strapping young man such as yourself to this neck of the woods anyway?"

"That sounds like a line from a really bad gay porno." Sasuke answered in disgust and his guardian laughed.

"You would know."

"You know I can just leave if you're going to be like this." Sasuke warned, he wasn't in a good mood.

"Well that would defeat the objective of you coming, which you still haven't told me." Kakashi sighed in thought. "Besides, I've been like this since you were six, it amazes me how you still find me so irritating."

"I have my ways." The raven mused and leant down on the table, head resting on his arms. From here he could see the baby, who was grappling at the dangling toys on the handle of her pram. His face was close distance to his cup and felt the warmth radiating from it. Ears picked up soft scrapes and shuffles running through the wood, he moved his foot slightly and heard the sound echo. His vision became one of blurred heat and colour and sound and he momentarily felt calm in the mind numbing nonsense. Kakashi was still here and Sasuke himself began to wonder why he had come, Tsunade hadn't told him to directly, it was a suggestion. Yet here he was at his guardians table and expected to explain why. Why did he go to Kakashi?

For help, always for help.

Sadness washed over him and he blinked a few times as if expelling the sensation, reaching for the baby's hand with a finger. She found it and clung to it tightly as he retreated into mental reserve.

"I guess we're doing this your way then." Kakashi spoke, putting an empty cup of coffee down and causing a bang in his son's eardrum. "I'll meet you in the living room with a cheesy sitcom." Chair scraped along tiles, screeching in his head and Kakashi left. Sasuke felt unbelievably uneasy.

It took fifteen minutes or Sasuke to join Kakashi in the living room and the silver hair man was expecting it to. _Friends_ was on television and he sat pretending to watch it as his son walked in, holding the baby and sat on the chair next to the sofa where Kakashi was sprawled. He was worried about him. Sasuke only came to him willingly when something very good or very bad had happened and by the expression on the young man's face it was definitely the latter. The confusion and sense of loss was easy to see. Despite everybody else opinion, Sasuke was a very emotional person who wasn't good at masking it. Those close to him could see that. Those not close who tried could see it when he was as bad as he seemed to be now. He was a loose cannon who tended to be very easily manipulated into feeling a certain way or being irreversibly overtaken into a feeling from a small thought. Kakashi used to call him a drama queen to annoy him as a teenager. He didn't feel this was quite appropriate now, his son seemed to be in a lot more trouble than say, realising he was gay or having a crush on a teacher. He remembered when his perfect Uchiha skin had manifested spots one summer and he'd refused to go to school for a few days until they were gone. On cue the mechanical laugher on the sitcom rang out and Kakashi stopped daydreaming to take a look at his son.

He always saw _little_ Sasuke when he looked at him, the emotional intemperate boy he'd adopted all that time ago. He still saw him now, sitting in the chair clutching a baby not much smaller than him, crying over the loss of his parents, the betrayal of his brother, the scrapes on his small knees from being pushed around in the playground. Life had treated Sasuke unfairly and now, when life was just about solidifying into a normal and solid thing, it became unfair again. The thing was, Sasuke would not like the think the baby had done this so he blamed others, blamed himself and got confused.

"She's a very quiet baby." Kakashi mused aloud after watching Sasuke for a while. No matter how long Sasuke sat there or held her, she didn't cry. She always seemed content as long as he was there. "A lot like Haku." He added after remembering the baby's mother and her strong, quiet nature. "It's funny how even at this age babies are like their parents hm…" He watched a tiny twitch of muscle in Sasuke's forehead, catching a train of thought painful to him. "Naruto…he was always loud as a baby. All he did was babble and shout and make as much noise as possible…just like Kushina." He saddened as he remembered his mentor and wife. The last time he saw them, Naruto had been around six months old. After they died, Kakashi disappeared.

He swallowed as the immense guilt hit him. He'd made a few mistakes in life, running away after the death of the people he treated like parents and leaving Naruto behind wasn't something he was proud of. He was only fifteen when it happened, a genius child but a child nonetheless. He didn't want to think about that part of the past, what mattered was he'd redeemed his mistake by saving Sasuke. It was so strange, how closely Naruto and Sasuke's lives were, the very baby he came back at the age of 21 to adopt, ended up as Sasuke. The one boy Sasuke fell in love with ended up to be the one Kakashi had left behind.

"What are you thinking?" Sasuke asked him and he gave a small laugh, he spoke without thinking.

"About how you very nearly could have been Naruto."

He knew at once he had said the wrong thing, even though he couldn't see his son's face, the tension in the room seemed to multiply tenfold and when he looked up he saw what he'd expected on Sasuke's face. Hurt. Immense and entangled hurt. "Sasuke." He began seriously. "You know I didn't mean it like that."

At once Sasuke tried to mask off his feelings but Kakashi knew the damage had been done. The Uchiha had always had an inferiority complex, always suffered from paranoia. Kakashi understood how he sometimes felt about himself in comparison to Naruto; he'd never meant to pick on those feelings when he said what he did.

Sasuke stood wordlessly, walked over and to Kakashi's surprise handed to baby to him. He understood when he saw his son's arms shaking in front of him. He disappeared upstairs and once out of earshot Kakashi exhaled and swore under his breath. He'd done it again.

"Your daddy is a case." The man spoke to the baby, laying her on his lap and letting her grab at his fingers. Sasuke had always been compared. As a child, people compared him to his brother, as he got older; he compared himself to his brother, fearing he was going to be like him. Now he compared himself to Naruto. He admired him, Kakashi knew it, he felt inferior to him and knew Kakashi had decided to adopt him because he couldn't adopt Naruto. Somewhere in Sasuke's head he believed Kakashi whished he could've adopted Naruto instead of him. Somewhere he believed he would never be as good as him, never have as many friends or people there for him. "Why can't he see, he has everything Naruto does?" He asked the baby and she ignored him, content in chewing his fingers. "What's his silly brain been making him think of lately, hm?" He jostled her lightly and she smiled a mouth full of gums at him.

He looked to the stairs, knowing where Sasuke had gone, knowing because it's the same routine they had had since Sasuke was a six year old and he a twenty one year old new father learning from his mistakes.

"He seems worse than usual." He said aloud and as if she understood, the infant in his lap stopped smiling, looking at him sadly. He put on his brave face and stood with her. "He'll be okay." He climbed the stairs and went into his bedroom, laying the baby in the cot he'd bought after learning of the adoption in case she stayed the night. He turned on a mobile above it that Iruka had picked and she was fascinated by it instantly, watching as the stars above her travelled in a circle along to twinkling music. "I have to figure this out." Kakashi spoke, stroking his grandchild's hair lightly and leaving.

He found himself outside the bathroom, same place, same situation, similar problem. As always. This part of life hurt Kakashi. To help Sasuke he had to find out why he was hurting, to do that, it often involved Sasuke hurting more. It was for his own good but it still pained Kakashi. He wished Sasuke wasn't so secretive, he wished he didn't have to feel inferior because he had problems and refused to acknowledge them. He had long ago accepted though that it was the way Sasuke was and that this had to happen.

"Sasuke." That was all he said, Sasuke knew the routine as good as he, always allowing himself to slip into it. There was always that little part that wanted and needed Kakashi to pull him out of his stance and into chaos.

"Fuck off." Came a voice from inside, it was steady and serious.

"Your language has never improved." Kakashi replied. Silence. "You know I won't leave."

"I'm not six anymore!" Some of his emotion leaked through the sentence, on the verge of cracking.

"It's debateable sometimes." Kakashi replied, hand on the door, wanting to push through it and hug the poor man and apologise until they both cried over their own stupidity. That had to wait though, Sasuke did things gradually, liked routine.

"Listen!" The door flew open to reveal the pale man, looking absolutely livid, clutching the doorframe like a lifeline. Kakashi watched as he forgot the rest of his sentence and his eyes flew about wildly, looking for the missing presence. His stomach grew hot as he saw the fear in his son's eyes. Sasuke hissed. "Where is she?"

_I'm sorry Sasuke._

Kakashi tensed, putting on a strong front, he hated this. He hated it so much. He could feel Sasuke's terror increasing, there would be chaos soon. He had known this severe attachment would develop them minute Sasuke adopted. Nobody, maybe apart from Naruto, would be brave enough to hurt Sasuke like this. Sasuke needed it, he needed to see he was being irrational.

Reinforcing that belief in his head, he lied.

"She's downstairs in her pram."

_Here comes the waves._

Sasuke broke in the next second. All colour drained from his face and he instantly darted to leave. He would have, had Kakashi not blocked his path. "Move." He spoke, tensing dangerously, breathing accelerating in anger and fear, testing his guardian's willpower.

"No, Sasuke." Kakashi remained calm as his son panicked even further. He moved in Sasuke's way when he shot forward again, trying to push through. Grabbing him when he tried to lash out and force his way from the doorway, screaming obscenities.

"What are you doing!" He yelled, trying to hit Kakashi but all the years of place training meant he could restrain his son successfully. Not that it was easy, Sasuke was acting like a captured animal, terrified and lashing out without thought. A few times his fists and legs made contact with Kakashi and the man hid the pain. It was nothing compared to the pain of seeing Sasuke on the verge of complete mental breakdown. "Why are you doing this? Why!" His voice was breaking and Kakashi did nothing but hold him there, pushing back the familiar sting in his eyes. Sasuke was desperately trying to push him away. "She can't be alone! Let me go!" He was screaming, voice breaking into weeping, without the tears. "STOP IT!" Losing strength in his body he sank a little. "I HATE YOU!" He roared. "I hate you! I hate you! I hate you!" He repeated his opinion furiously, voice tearing Kakashi apart as he held him there and listened. "She can't…he'll get her!..let me go! Please! He'll get her!" Sasuke muttered into his chest , both men's hands white from holding each other, blood ran through his ears and made his head hot. Like a stuck record he repeated it again, now begging for him to let him go, voice flailing to a meek and desperate plea. Kakashi knew who the 'he' was and not for the first time in his life, felt an immense hatred towards Sasuke's brother.

" Sasuke." He said his sons name quietly, carefully, the more worked up he became, the more worked up Sasuke would become.

"Get away from me! She needs me!" He choked on his own words and Kakashi felt him shaking under his grasp, trying to keep his breathing under control and failing. He couldn't lie to him anymore.

"She's not downstairs Sasuke. She's in a cot in my bedroom two doors away."

"It's still too far! She's alone!" Sasuke wept, trying to get away again and Kakashi clutched his wrists tighter between them. Kakashi felt sick as he realised just how bad this bad become, Sasuke could not even deal with the baby unsupervised only a room away. He had not even got angry over him lying, all he could think about was the baby.

"He's not here." Kakashi said firmly to the man. "He's not in this house and he isn't anywhere near her. She's safe in her cot."

"You're lying! I've saw him! He was there…he was right there…" His voice faltered into a quiet sob and he let his head fall on his guardian's chest, sounding like he was referring to another time.

"Where Sasuke, when?" Kakashi asked confusedly, fear growing himself.

"By the stairs…he was there…he's following me…he's going to take her…" The man whispered in reply, sounding breathless and Kakashi paled. He needed to talk to Naruto about this and see if he knew anything about it. Sasuke suffered from immense anxiety over his brother, he could have been imagining things or he could not. Both theories were scary. If Sasuke was hallucinating - this had gone too far. If Itachi had been in Sasuke's house or had come into contact…why would he have left without hurting anybody? None of it made sense but it was a terrifying thought. "Please…"

Kakashi couldn't stand keeping Sasuke here anymore. He was trained to fight back his emotions but there was only so much a father could take when it was their children involved. He couldn't undo his rules however, so he kept a firm hold on Sasuke and took him to the bedroom.

"She's right there. Unharmed."

And she was, sleeping in fact, unaware of her father's behaviour. Sasuke exhaled shakily and tried to reach for her but Kakashi restrained him again. "She's sleeping, leave her be."

"She's…please…let me touch her…"

"Listen to yourself." Kakashi told him. "This isn't you talking Sasuke, it's the paranoia, the anxiety. It's irrational."

"Why are you being like this!" Sasuke started again and Kakashi quickly took him out of the room, ignoring the kicking and screaming and led him into the spare bedroom. Again Sasuke began screeching that the baby was alone and Kakashi fought to keep himself calm. "Why are you doing this to me!"

"Because you're my son!" Kakashi answered, growing emotional. "And I will _not_ let these problems overcome you!"

"You're _not_ my dad! You _never _will be!"

Kakashi felt a physical pain in his chest as Sasuke yelled at him and he couldn't help but let his emotions show through. Sasuke knew he had hurt him. It was several quiet minutes before either of them spoke again and when they did, the air was thick with regret.

"I didn-"

"It's okay, Sasuke." Kakashi cut him off sharply and Sasuke flinched. It was definitely not okay.

"I'm sorry."

"I know."

It was quiet as they stood on the carpet of the tiny spare room, both of them made mistakes, said things they didn't mean. It was this that brought them together. The wind and waves.

Sasuke tentatively tried to ease out of Kakashi's hold and the elder let him. He was then drawn carefully into a hug by the younger man and sighed, embracing him back.

"Sasuke, what I said before wasn't how it sounded."

"I know."

"You're the boy I chose to adopt and I've never once in my life regretted that decision. You're a handful, I admit. A completely irrational, pain in the arse with a short temper and bad habits, but you _are _my son, and I still love you. I have never wished you to be like anybody else and you shouldn't either."

He heard a choked sob come from Sasuke and clutched him tighter. He again became the child that he pulled from the bathtub and into his arms to cry on his shoulder. "I'm sorry…I didn't mean…what I said. I just…I'm sorry!"

"Shh…I know, I know." Kakashi felt tears prickle in his eyes. He hated Itachi. He absolutely hated him. Kakashi was a man who didn't let intense feelings overcome him and ruin his happiness but whenever he realised just how bad Sasuke had become because of his brother...god he hated him.

Sasuke rarley called him dad, he didn't buy him fathers day gifts and only said I love you a handful of times. Kakashi was understanding enough to know why and that it wasn't something he did out of spite. He'd lost his dad himself and though he had come to think of different people as his parental figures, it was hard for him to replace his father. He knew how Sasuke felt about attachment. He was afraid anybody he became attached to would disappear because that's what he'd learned as a child. He didn't want to admit to himself Kakashi was his dad now because it meant both solidifying that close bond and acknowledging it, and also deep down he still hadn't let go of his real father and didn't want to feel he was forgetting and replacing him. Kakashi knew these feelings well. He understood and never minded father's day or pushed Sasuke. Occasionally he would call him 'dad' out of his own wishes, usually when tired or when Kakashi was having a bad time, it slipped out. His guardian knew Sasuke loved him, he had his own way of showing it and even though he tried not to acknowledge the bond, it had already been created long ago.

"Sasuke. How much have you been sleeping?" He asked in a moment of lull, his son had grown weak against him and only now had he noticed the immense exhaustion shaking though him. From previous experience, he knew the raven became a reckless sleeper when he was troubled. Only a nonsensical mumble was given as a reply and Kakashi smiled wryly, suspicions confirmed. "I bet Naruto's been on your case." Another mumble and he held him tightly, ushering him towards the bed in the tiny room and making him lie down as he protested. "You need to sleep." The young man's eyelids were fighting closure but Kakashi knew all too well he'd be out soon, he was a pile of mush after such trauma and fell into deep sleep for several hours. Realising he would probably still fight off the tiredness unless he had the baby he sighed and went back to his bedroom, lifting the infant gently and rocking her when she stirred. "Lie down." He told his son as he came back to find him sat on the edge of the bed still fighting the heavy weight of his emotions. He looked from his guardian to the baby and complied, lying down slowly, sighing as if feeling a pillow under his head was nothing short of luxury. Kakashi placed the baby beside him on the pillow. There was no danger of him rolling on her in sleep, the raven would be dead to the world for hours.

Exhausted as he was, he kept his eyes open as he felt his daughters hair and even smiled dazedly. Kakashi sat on the bed and watched the interaction feeling both pride and sadness inside himself. "I'm a grandad hm..." He mused and brushed his son's hair much like he was doing to the baby. Sasuke relaxed into the touch and a single tear fought it's way out of a closed eye. Kakashi's heart fell.

"I don't hate you." Sasuke whispered as Kakashi wiped the tear away with his thumb.

"I never believed you did." He reassured, standing after he made sure the tears had stopped. "We'll talk later, you need to sleep."

"Tell...Naruto..." Sasuke muttered sleepily from the bed, falling into slumber.

"I will. Goodnight Sasuke."

"Good...night...dad."

Kakashi's heart swelled as he closed the bedroom door.

.

.

* * *

**Oh Sasuke I forgot how lost you were in this fic oAo**


	7. Rumble Crash Silence

**Two chapters this summer! :) I really got back into this fic now I have the time to. Please read the author comments at the end.  
**

* * *

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_Rumble. Crash. Silence._

Kakashi sat gravely, head in hands whilst he thought over the previous few hours or so.

Maybe he should have seen this coming; Sasuke's breakdown, it had been a long time. Too long.

_Must he associate pain, fear, anxiety, for weakness? _

He had always been like that, never wanting to admit when he was scared, keeping it in until the very last minute and resulting in so much stress his brain couldn't take it.

Itachi though, the 'sighting' of Itachi...that was sudden. As a child Sasuke had many nightmares of his brother, claimed he saw him in the dark when he was trying to sleep, running into Kakashi's room terrified, claiming his brother was chasing him. A child's imagination is limitless; he was always 'seeing' Itachi. Sasuke was an adult now though and to be _so_ convinced was...worrying to say the least.

Kakashi was sure Sasuke still dreamed about him, still carried the paranoia but he had Naruto to reassure him now that Kakashi wasn't there. To be this frightened despite that...well, it was certain to put strain on any relationship. Sasuke had always carried trust issues.

The silver haired man picked up his phone, let the cool of it chill his clammy hands, before ringing for Naruto. It rang three times before a sudden flurry of voices could be heard and some harsh cursing.

"SAI WOULD YOU FUCK OFF! SOMEONE'S RINGING ME!...HELLO?"

"Naruto, it's Kakashi."

"Kakashi! Hey! Uh...one minute...SAI SAY ONE MORE THING ABOUT MY DICK AND I SWEAR TO GOD I WILL RIP YOURS OFF!" Kakashi heard a foreign voice chuckle and then it was quieter, Naruto came back, voice flustered. "What's up?"

"Where are you?" He asked; lying back on the couch, judging from the background conversation it probably wasn't a good time to talk, though he was a little curious as to the subject of commotion.

"Oh! I'm at my new job! You wouldn't believe my co-worker – he's a complete NUT! A fucking perverted one! All he seems to wanna talk about is my dick! If I didn't need this job so bad I would have punched him already..."

"Seems like fun." Kakashi mused, smiling a little and glancing toward the stairs out of habit. As a child Sasuke would sometimes sit at the top out of sight because he was too afraid to be away from Kakashi but too stubborn to say so.

"Fun my arse! The job is great; looking after plants and all that but this Sai guy...ugh...OH yeah what did you ring for? I escaped to the store room but I have to get back to watering soon."

"This probably isn't the best time to talk, what time do you finish work?"

"Seven...Is it about Sasuke?" Naruto's tone turned dark and Kakashi sighed.

"How ever did you know?" He smiled sadly.

"I'd come round after work but I really need to be with him, he's going through that paranoid thing y'know? I need to talk to you about it but he doesn't like being in the house alone. I really didn't wanna work this morning y'know but I had to. I told him to go out but he might be home again by now...he'd probably in Starbucks actually..."

"He's with me." Kakashi interrupted, "Upstairs, sleeping."

"Sleeping! How?"

"Not willingly I assure you."

"That dork...how long has he been asleep? I'll come round after work."

"About an hour, sure, I was going to ask you to." He sighed again, rubbing his eyes. "Anyone would think we were talking about the baby."

"I know...and he calls _me_ a baby." Kakashi could practically hear Naruto's eyes rolling.

"I'll see you later."

"Later-SAI HOW LONG HAVE YOU FUCKING BEEN THERE?"

The call cut off and Kakashi tossed the phone to the opposite couch, taking a look at the clock: five fifteen...he had work to do.

* * *

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.

Pain stared at his various computer screens gravely. Each contained information relevant to Akatsuki's current aims, different people, their enemies, partners.

Of course, when information was being found on them, he knew. He knew little Sasuke Uchiha understood more than he told, knew what Kakashi Hatake was up to, the both of them were as bad as each other. He knew everything the police thought they knew about them, and more.

Not that he was bragging, they had made several misjudgements in the past, Gaara Sabaku being one of them, but they learned from them. Tightened security, strengthened partnerships, became impenetrable. Of course he knew the goals of all members were different, none of that mattered. His goal was all that mattered.

"They are suspicious." He spoke, voice calm but hoarse, Konan was at his side with herbal tea immediately, taking note of the way her friends ribs could be seen prominently though his skin.

"They are foolish." She murmured.

"No...some are clever." He blinked slowly at a picture of Naruto, then again to Gaara, Sasuke... "They have all experienced pain. We must underestimate nobody."

Konan nodded. "Nagato..." She stared sadly at his body. "I will get your medicine."

Pain was silent, eyes taking down information from the screens. "Where is Itachi?" He asked.

"Gone for a few days." She replied quietly.

Pain bowed his head silently and she left.

.

.

* * *

Several folders circled Kakashi, sat cross legged on the floor, photos and information spilled out of them and he poured his eyes over each.

Sasuke was not the only one capable of hacking.

He stood, stretched and heard keys jangling in the door to the house. He quickly tidied his information away and rubbed his sore eyes.

"Kakashi?" He heard Iruka call and hurried from his office quickly, putting a finger to his lips when he saw the man, who nodded and apologised quietly, mouthing a 'why?' towards him.

"My little raven flew back home for the day. He's asleep upstairs."

"Sasuke?" Iruka asked, putting his coat and teaching files away.

Kakashi nodded and watched the man, noting his hands were covered in poster paint; there were yellow splodges of it in his hair too. He smiled, walking over and picking some of the dried flakes out.

"Wha-oh...yes we were painting today, some of the children were far too excited." Iruka chuckled fondly, playing with his hands absent mindedly while Kakashi raked his fingers through the hair. "I'm guessing there's a reason Sasuke is asleep upstairs?" He asked cautiously.

"Hmm...he isn't feeling too well." Kakashi hummed. Iruka nodded silently. "I mean the kids a nut case." He added, after noting the sober attitude that had feel upon them. Iruka hissed his name and turned to hit him.

"Don't say that!" He scolded, teacher mode activated. Kakashi smiled.

"I was kidding." He leant forward, picking more paint out of the wispy bits of hair around his face, wiping a smudge off his cheek. Iruka sighed, Kakashi feeling the breath waft over his palm and wrist.

"Nevertheless..." The smaller man mumbled, gathering himself and swatting Kakashi's hand away to get a cloth from the kitchen sink and wash his hands properly.

The silver haired man watched him go and stretched once more, picking up the hairbrush from Iruka's work bag and following the man.

Iruka sighed when Kakashi removed the hair tie and began brushing more paint out. "Would you leave my hair alone? I can brush it myself..."

"But it's shiny~!" Kakashi sang, gathering it in bunches and waving it about above Iruka's head, gasping when the younger man splashed water at him from the sink and wiping his now wet arms across the smirking face. Iruka yelped grabbing the hairbrush from Kakashi and smacking him in the stomach with it, laughing when the man retorted by tickling his sides.

"Y'know, I think I'll come back later."

Both men jumped and turned to see Naruto stood in the kitchen doorway, keys in hand and mildly disturbed expression on his face. He turned and Iruka started flapping, Kakashi rolled his eyes and grabbed the blonde by the head, steering him to the kitchen table and ignoring the groaning coming from the boy.

"It's not my fault your father acts like a child Naruto. It must be those children he teaches, he's picking up bad habits."

Iruka threw the hairbrush at him, wiping water from the worktops and floor in disgruntlement. "I live with a child of a man!" He insisted and Naruto nodded nonchalantly.

"And a pervert of a one." He agreed, yowling when Kakashi hit him with the fallen brush.

"Tea Naruto?"

"Mhmm."

Naruto looked to Kakashi questioningly when Iruka's back was turned and Kakashi shrugged for a moment, looking tired.

"Iruka, I'm borrowing Blondie for a moment."

Iruka nodded. "I thought you would."

Kakashi took him into his office and Naruto looked round, smiling fondly at the photos along the wall; a small knot forming in his stomach at all the ones of his mother and father who he didn't remember.

"Naruto, he's seeing him again." Kakashi began, snapping Naruto out of it.

"Yeah, he told me he had."

"He'd not seen him since he was a kid." the silver haired man exhaled slowly and Naruto could see how tired he was. "I don't know what to believe; this time it's different...the incident last month proves how clever Akatsuki are. I don't want to go telling him he's seeing imaginary things when there's no evidence that he is but likewise...him knowing Itachi could be in the next room is...destructive to say the least."

"I know..." Naruto perched on the desk edge, letting his finger wander over the wood grain. "I don't know what to tell him apart from that I won't leave him." He clenched his fist and sighed. "I thought this baby could be good for him, and it was, but then it all turned bad suddenly...it's making things harder."

Kakashi agreed, flicking some yellow paint of his arm. "I'm going to talk to Gaara and Jiraiya. I really don't know what to do about Sasuke's sightings right now because of how he's been in the past and how little we have to go off...I don't like it though. If Akatsuki have their eye on him at the moment then..." The man's head hit the desk lightly and he rolled his forehead along the cool surface. "I really don't like this...something is wrong. Either way, if it's going to happen I can't even say you're any safer staying here than at home...and even if it was safe under top priority protection, nobody will allow that with such little evidence."

"So it's wait around until someone gets hurt." Naruto mumbled bleakly, hands clenching in his trouser fabric.

"I don't like it either," spoke Kakashi. "I can't protect you all on my own... though I can damn well try."

"I know." Naruto kicked his chair lightly and stood. "I'll keep an eye on him." His eyes flicked back to the photographs again, looking at his mother's long red hair and subconsciously playing with his own shocking blonde crop.

"Naruto...this goes for you too." Kakashi warned and Naruto brushed the subject off.

"Don't worry about me."

Kakashi grumbled and stood. "Let people worry about you."

"I'm fine!" Naruto insisted and paled when Kakashi stormed over, yelping when he was put into a headlock and noogied harshly.

"Children should listen to their guardians." Kakashi sang, ignoring Naruto's spluttering of 'sadist', 'child molester' and 'bastard'.

They stopped when Iruka knocked on the door and asked Kakashi to check on Sasuke, thinking he'd heard him moving about upstairs.

Kakashi let Naruto go and made for the stairs, shaking his head at how stubborn the boy was about letting people in. Almost as stubborn as Sasuke but in a totally different sort of way. "Stupid kids." He mumbled and opened the door to Sasuke's room, immediately frowning when he noted the boy and baby were still deep in slumber.

Every nerve in him picked up suddenly and his fists clenched, he slowly looked around the room - everything was as he'd left it. With a prickly feeling he checked all the cupboards, the window (was still locked) and underneath the bed. Everything was fine, absolutely no sign of life but for the sleeping pair. He backed out and shut the door slowly, travelling along the landing and glancing into the other rooms.

He found a pile of books on the floor by Iruka's dresser, some from the pile still on top of the desk near the very edge. Part of him sighed with relief, picking them up. Iruka often left books haphazardly about his room and caused avalanches...

He let his fingers drift over the books covers, the prickly feeling still hadn't left. If Sasuke had seen Itachi then...

Even little things that would normally cause no fuss were now becoming suspicious.

Had Iruka left those books so far near the edge? For how long? Could they have fallen off now after being there all day, utterly fine?

"Itachi Uchiha...you and your bloody mind games." He put the last book back and pushed them to the back of the dresser, leaving the room and looking down the hall to Sasuke's door. It was still shut as he'd left it. He glared at the surrounding space, as if daring anyone to jump out and surprise him. He refused to let anybody hurt his son.

He was tempted to wake the boy and bring him downstairs but scolded himself for thinking so. If he began getting paranoid it was like one sick person looking after another. Kakashi needed to be rational for everyone's safety. If Itachi _was_ sneaking around, he'd have had plenty of opportunities to hurt Sasuke already. Kakashi fists clenched at the idea. So if he hadn't so far, he wasn't going to, yet. It wasn't like Akatsuki to do anything serious quietly, they weren't afraid to pull stunts right in full view of the public eye. They could easily disappear again after, somehow they always slipped away. It wasn't in their interests to suddenly kill a sleeping boy.

Kakashi swallowed the lump in his throat and breathed slowly before returning downstairs, letting Iruka know it had been some fallen books.

"Oh, I must have left them too close to the edge, I'm always doing that when I'm half asleep." Iruka nodded, tying his hair back up into the usual ponytail. Kakashi didn't miss the bleak look Naruto gave him.

* * *

Sasuke's eyes opened slowly and at first he couldn't make sense of himself or his surroundings, brain still too bogged down by the heavy sleep he'd much needed. It wasn't until he heard the baby coo that his memory came back to him and he sat up suddenly, rushing her into his arms and backing up to the wall the bed was pressed against, staring around the room like a meerkat that had spotted an eagle.

The room was empty. He searched furiously with his eyes for any signs of change since he'd fallen asleep there, but was frustratedly too tired to remember. He strained his ears to hear noise and exhaled in relief when he heard Iruka and Kakashi arguing about something trivial downstairs, ears pricking up when Naruto's voice joined in.

_Why is Naruto here?_

"Kakashiiiiii..." He groaned hoarsely, needing a drink, he rose from the bed and opened the door with a shaking hand, feeling invisible hands and faces sneaking up behind him all the way. The deserted landing was full of shadows and haunts.

Footsteps coming up the stairs caused his heart to thud against his ribcage, he pulled the baby close, but calmed when he saw blonde hair come into view.

"What are you doing here?" He asked, a little too harshly, coughing after and straightening up.

"Nice to see you too," Naruto grumbled. "Can I not visit my own dad now?"

Sasuke glared suspiciously and Naruto glared back as if challenging him to fight it; however Sasuke just sighed and let things be. He needed coffee.

"Well I came upstairs to pee so..." The silence hung around and Sasuke rolled his eyes, walking past him and to the stairs, Naruto ruffled the baby's hair along the way before walking into the bathroom. Sasuke hung awkwardly at the top of the stairs, able to see the bottom from where he was and also the bathroom. The living room was only 12 steps away but it looked a lot further...he didn't want to leave Naruto up here alone...but would be mocked if he stayed.

He made his way down a few as slow as possible, still not able to be sighted by his father in the living room, keeping an eye and ear out for the bathroom door as he went. He waited until he heard the toilet flush and the sound of a towel flapping on the metal towel rail before quickly darting down the stairs before the door swung open.

Naruto stared sadly along the empty hallway; half hoping Sasuke would still be waiting there.

_Guess his concern stretches only for the baby... _He thought bitterly but shook it off, mentally telling himself off for being so selfish.

He descended the stairs.

* * *

A few hours later and Naruto found himself in the same position he's found himself for the most of this month – alone.

He flicked through a few channels, his arm draped lazily over one eye as he gave half a glance to the channels, picking one for background noise and dropping the remote with a sigh. He let his eyes wander shut.

Sasuke was back in his office again, with the baby, wouldn't let Naruto in, wouldn't let Naruto out. So here he was, lying on the sofa, worrying.

"When did I get to be such a pushover?" He mumbled to himself, glancing to the clock on the wall, 9pm. "I hope the baby is asleep."

_The baby...__**my**__ baby...__**our**__ baby..._

He scrunched his nose up in irritation and rolled over with a frustrated growl. It was good Sasuke felt so powerfully about their child but...

_Does he even get that it's __**my**__ baby too..._

Sasuke was pushing him out.

The blonde thought about getting the baby and taking her upstairs to her cot where she belonged but honestly couldn't be bothered with the drama it would cause. _He_ wanted to be with her for a change, give her space, let her get used to her bedroom, cuddle her without having to worry. If he even suggested leaving her alone upstairs, Sasuke would freak out.

Of course, if Sasuke was not seeing hallucinations then he had every right to be worried, everybody did. It was entirely possible for Itachi or any of Akatsuki to be sneaking round and yes, they had personal issues with the organisation and quite a history of problems with them...it was terrifying.

Sasuke had done this before though. 'Seen' things before. It was difficult to tell what was real and what was not, especially with his obsessive personality.

"Fuck Itachi Uchiha! Fuck him to hell! Hasn't he done enough to hurt everybody? Why the fuck should he turn up now and ruin everything...does he even need a reason...the fucking psychopath..." He rubbed his eyes angrily. He wanted peace. He wanted people to pay for hurting his loved ones...he wanted his friends back alive and his boyfriend back to his grumpy, secretively-cuddly self, he wanted the baby to have her parents back because her new ones were doing a fucking lousy job of it.

"Shit." He sighed, kicking a pillow off the couch. "Stop thinking."

"Didn't know you _could_ think."

Naruto looked over the pillow quickly to see Sasuke stood at the foot of the couch. For a second, it had sounded like _his _Sasuke, the snarky one...but this looked very much like the one he'd seen cowering atop Kakashi's staircase, clutching a baby girl to his chest in paranoia.

"You'd be surprised what I can achieve Uchiha." He replied grumpily, played along. For a second it looked like Sasuke would fight back verbally as usual, maybe comment on his achievements including cleaner and gardener and not a lot else...to which Naruto might add 'taming an Uchiha' to the list and Sasuke might smirk, do that cute nose scrunchy thing he did when he was embarrassed or annoyed and throw a pillow at him.

None of that happened. Sasuke 'hmm'ed and quite cautiously stepped closer. Naruto, wanting to hold the man, do anything to soothe his wrecked body and calm his fluttering heart, stood, reached out to him. He touched Sasuke's face lightly, held his arms around him, slowly, gently, like sneaking up on fish in a pond, moving your hand close, close, closer, until you move too hastily and it darts away into the murky water.

"Do you wanna cry?" Naruto whispered, Sasuke looking down at the floor, face still in Naruto's embrace.

"I don't cry...what use does it do?" He replied slowly, Naruto stroked his cheek with his thumb, softly. Smiled, sadly.

"You may not physically produce tears but trust me, you cry. It cleanses you..." He pressed their foreheads together and felt the warm, barely there wafts of Sasuke's breath cover his face, dance across his lips softly. Sasuke's mouth was open and Naruto pressed an almost kiss to it, placed his lips upon his boyfriends, lightly as possible, let his eyes close on the blurred picture of Sasuke's trembling eyelashes.

"Naruto." He hushed softly, Naruto felt it though his lips, tasted his name in Sasuke's sugar breath on his tongue and Naruto's forehead creased as he willed back tears of his own. _God _he just wanted this man to feel _safe_.

The raven seemed to want to say something else but the tensing and relaxing of his muscles told Naruto he wasn't going to say it. The blonde kissed his cheek softly and drew away, whispered a 'stay' to his partner and cautiously walked towards Sasuke's office, watched carefully all the time. Sasuke saw him pick up the baby's Moses basket, maintained eye contact there and back to the couch, where the blonde placed it next to.

"Sit with me." Naruto commanded, pleading look to his eye and Sasuke slowly, after a few minutes of staring at the floor, sat, looking to the Moses basket. "Put her in it." Sasuke just looked at it. "Please, she's sleeping, let her rest. We're right beside her." Naruto placed his hands upon the child gently, hurt when Sasuke visibly tensed, he pushed the anger down inside him, Sasuke was sick, he didn't mean to do that...

As if sensing the blonde's thoughts, Sasuke let go of her slowly, unsure, as if it was something he didn't know how to do, like a child learning to walk. Naruto lifted her over into the basket, making soft 'shushing' sounds when she fussed, babbled but didn't cry. She fell straight back to sleep when Naruto laid her down and covered her legs with the silky blanket.

Before Sasuke could begin to worry, Naruto took his face again, ushered him with as much care as the baby to lie down beside him on the couch. Tiredly, Sasuke relented, let himself be pushed down, felt Naruto embrace him tightly from behind. He was on face level with the basket's woven sides; he let his fingertips trail over the wicker weaving slowly. Naruto sighed behind him, hot breath trailing down his pale neck. Sasuke shivered, felt the prickly feeling of sleep teetering dangerously close, threatening to knock him over. Naruto kissed the junction of his neck firmly, sucked it and Sasuke's vision grew blurry. His toes wanted to curl when the blonde let his teeth glide over the spot he'd just been kissing, softly let hands wander over the bony surface of his hips and to the velvety dip just inside them. The raven made a small noise of satisfaction as Naruto's tongue licked a hot trail along the curve of his ear, fingers dancing over his stomach, making him shudder.

It was then, with a pained expression, that Sasuke grabbed the hands and whispered 'stop', his eyes on the Moses basket in front of him. He couldn't concentrate on the basket when Naruto did things like that to him, couldn't fight off the relaxation or the threat of sleep, couldn't still the ache in his chest or the warm distraction.

_Distraction. Distraction._

"We can't do this sort of thing in front of her." Sasuke excused, holding Naruto's hands still.

"We were hardly doing anything." Naruto said with a low, tired voice. "She's a baby, she doesn't understand it anyway, it's not like we're scarring her, she won't remember anything from these years of her life. Oh, and she's asleep and you might have been too if you'd just let me..." He stopped himself after noticing his tone turning bitter, he wriggled his hands free from Sasuke's grip and wrapped his arms round his middle tightly, unwaveringly. "Sleep, Sasuke." The blonde knew Sasuke was making excuses, didn't want to lose control, didn't want to be distracted or lose sight of the baby.

_She's right there...you can see her..._

_**I'm **__right here...can you see __**me**__?_

Sasuke was asleep an hour later, no longer able to fight it, the wicker basket and the sound of Naruto's soft snores were the last things he was aware of before subconscious got him.

.

* * *

.

Gaara stared down at the small family in front of him with an ambiguous expression. A small baby was staring up at him from a wicker basket, large chocolate eyes enquiring. He lifted a pale hand and gave one small wave. She opened her mouth and smiled at him and his mouth twitched up in the corners.

Her fathers looked rather worse for wear; both had exhausted faces, grey hollows under the eyes; Sasuke's more prominent than Naruto's. He narrowed his eyes at the raven man, it was not the baby keeping Naruto awake at night; it was this man and his attitude to her. Naruto was showing signs of a much younger, more lost Naruto that Gaara had often calmed in the orphanage.

Silently he walked closer, taking note of the possessive grasp of his friend upon his boyfriend. He gave a look of irony.

_They thought __**I**__ had issues._

He smiled to himself and gently shook Naruto's shoulder, sighing when the blonde just mumbled nonsense and snuggled closer to Sasuke. Gaara roused him slightly harsher and weakly Naruto's eyes opened, looking in confusion for a second before realising what was happening.

"Oh. Hi." He said, voice thick with exhaustion, the motion of him moving to sit waking the raven, who for a moment was calm but upon noticing Gaara's unexpected presence he choked on his voice a little, flying from the couch and scrambling for the baby immediately.

"Sasuke! Sasuke it's ok! For god's sake it's Gaara!" He leapt for his boyfriend, trying to calm him, stop him from running but Sasuke pushed him away, rather violently, Naruto fell to the couch. "Sasuke!" Naruto yelled, but he'd ran into his office, door shutting with a slam and silence falling back upon the house.

Naruto sat for a moment, stunned, then let his head fall back on the couch, hands coming to clutch his head, palms mauling his eye sockets as his chest rose and fell in frustration.

Gaara walked to his friend and pulled his hands from his eyes, massaging his palms gently with his own fingers, watching his friend's tired eyes fall shut. He kissed each palm and gently ran hands down the blonde's arms and to his face where he massaged the tension from his temples. Naruto sighed and leaned into the touch, calming down quickly.

"You're always good at this." Naruto whined gently when Gaara massaged down around his neck and shoulders. "I think clearer with you around." The blonde opened his eyes, seeing his friend crouching above him and smiling as he imagined the lonely red haired child sat on the swing-set. He pulled Gaara down on top of him with a grin and hugged him tightly, squealing like a child and falling with him back into the seat cushions. Gaara could feel Naruto's smile in the skin of his cheek but could feel the sadness behind it in his body. Naruto was a physical person and so Gaara hugged him back tightly, snuggled into him and let Naruto feel that breath across his neck; let him be relaxed by the playing of fingers in his hair. Naruto needed physical comfort, warmth, and Sasuke wasn't giving that to him. Gaara was always there.

"It's aching." Gaara spoke softly.

"Sorry." Naruto replied, moving his leg out of Gaara's crotch and laughing to himself. Gaara slapped him in the head lightly and pressed their foreheads together to prevent Naruto avoiding him.

"Here." Gaara placed his hand on Naruto's chest and his expression softened. The sad smile hadn't left Naruto's face but his cheek muscles were trembling.

"A lot of places ache these days." He said softly and stroked the dark lines beneath Gaara's vivid green eyes. The redhead raised a hand to wipe the tears that had started falling from blue eyes.

"Let them ache." He said, hugging the blonde close again and feeling the shudders as he cried into his shoulder.

* * *

On a better day Sasuke might have been jealous of the cuddling going on outside his office door, it had taken him quite a while to get used to Naruto and his friend's...'touchiness'. Every time Sasuke would get sour about it, Naruto would laugh in his face, stating his and Gaara's relationship was 'as het as it gets', Sasuke could only roll his eyes. It was true though, Gaara was asexual, they could have kissed, and they occasionally did, but it wasn't at all romantic and it had taken Sasuke a while and a few fights to get used to that. They were odd beings around each other; the raven could see a different side of Naruto when he was with Gaara sometimes. They seemed to speak a unique language of sorts. Their eyes would soften a little, as if they were somewhere else. Sasuke was jealous of that connection, he knew Naruto and Gaara had grown up together and experienced each other's hardships from a young age. He was jealous of their unique connection. It wasn't a sibling relationship and it wasn't romantic but it somewhat transcended friendship...they were soul mates? It hurt Sasuke's head thinking about it.

Today he wasn't jealous; he was confused, angry, embarrassed. When he'd woken up, Gaara hovering over them, baby not in his arms, restrained by Naruto's, unable to make sense of things in his sleepy state...he'd just panicked. He could see it was Gaara, he could hear Naruto shouting at him to be calm but the panic overrode every conscious action. He just had to get away from the situation, with the baby, right there and then.

So he did.

And now he was sat behind the door feeling like the biggest idiot on earth.

The baby was crying.

He wanted to cry.

"Fuck."

* * *

"Gaara-Kuuun..."

A short silence followed where Gaara rose up a little and stared his friend in the eyes, an unspoken conversation went between them, before the redhead stood and grabbed Naruto's coat, walking back and tossing it to him. The blonde stood, sheepishly and looked to the door of the office before sighing.

"Sasuke!" He yelled through the door, putting on his brave-face. "I'm...Sasuke let me in."

The door remained closed and Naruto's hand shook in frustration. "Sasuke open the door or I'll just leave the house."

The door opened and Naruto walked in, an odd silence went between the two and Sasuke glared at the coat Naruto was wearing. "Sas...you can come with us...or stay here."

The raven looked at him with attempted blankness but Naruto could see the little flicker of pleading behind the dark eyes. His chest tightened.

To Naruto's surprise his partner walked past him after a moment, finding the baby's pram and his own coat. Naruto looked to Gaara with a face of surprise, who simply smiled back at him.

"I'm not going to follow you." The raven said quietly.

"Huh?" Naruto blinked as Sasuke spoke.

"I'll walk into town with you two but...I'm going my own way after."

Instead of questioning the odd behaviour Naruto just nodded, going to heat a bottle in the kitchen while Sasuke put the baby's bonnet and gloves on.

The blonde wasn't quite sure what to think when Sasuke left with the baby some way into town; he just let him go with an awkward 'see you later' and a fleeting grimace at the ravens skinny frame as he walked away.

"Breakfast," Gaara said quietly, touching Naruto's shoulder and bringing him back to earth.

"Yeah," He let the image of Sasuke go and followed the redhead into town, where they were seated in a tiny corner café. Gaara lead the way into somewhat normality as they waited for their orders.

"How is your father?"

"Same as usual, a complete panicky mummy who still thinks I'm five years old." Naruto answered with a smile, thinking fondly of his father. He didn't find Iruka's nature annoying mostly, he'd grown up with it. It drove Sasuke a little insane, Kakashi was only a little less anxious but he was better at hiding it. "I think him and Kakashi have something odd going on though...it's a little gross." He added, remembering the tickle fight he'd walked into in the kitchen. "They're like a married couple." He shook his head, thanking the waiter as he laid two cups of tea on the table.

Gaara nodded modestly with a wry smile and Naruto kicked his shin under the table. "Hey, hey!" He kept nudging the redhead. "You know something don't you! What has that pervert said about my dad?"

"He speaks of him frequently," Gaara informed, sipping his tea, Naruto trying to do the same but finding it to be the temperature of Mordor and ending up fanning his tongue with a napkin soon after. "He has noted on several occasions that your fathers work trousers are quite...becoming."

"He's made comments on dad's ass?" Naruto groaned, sticking his tongue out further in disgust rather than the burning sensation.

"Yes. Amongst other things, he has a vast range of vocabulary." Gaara nodded, and drank his tea with the asbestos mouth he possessed.

"I don't even wanna know." The blonde rolled his eyes, poking the raised surface of his tongue and wincing.

Gaara nodded to the waiter as he brought them breakfast and Naruto ate happily, thankful it wasn't a thousand degrees. "We're doing our best to find them." The redhead said; expression a little more serious.

"I know you are Gar-Gar, it's ok." Naruto grinned with woeful eyes. "These bastards are pretty good at slipping away I know."

"We're good at finding them too though."

"You most certainly are." Naruto agreed, remembering back to a time when Gaara's team had caught a previous Akatsuki member, Orochimaru. It was one of the biggest police achievements to date; Gaara had done it mostly himself back when he was only a trainee police officer. Needless to say he'd been promoted pretty quickly after. Unfortunately sometime after that, Orochimaru got away again, though many assumed him dead, nobody had heard or seen him since and he wasn't in Akatsuki any more.

"Naruto." The blonde looked up as Gaara said his name and blinked at the expression there in the black ringed eyes. The atmosphere in the café changed. It was obvious what he wanted to say was not to be heard or understood by anybody but Naruto. He watched as the redhead debated whether to speak or not, something inside of him slowly unwinding, prickling fear niggled behind his eyes. The redhead took his hand gingerly and the touch was enough to send the winding feeling into a clear pool of fear. They hadn't broke eye contact, Gaara was speaking to him though this silence and deep in those green eyes Naruto could sense the worry, the fierce protective longing behind them. Those irises twitched and Naruto's hand was squeezed so lightly nobody but them would have even noticed. In moments like these they noticed nobody but each other, onlookers saw them looking to each other in silence but to them a whole conversation was taking place. It was one of those special ways Gaara talked to him that he loved the redhead for.

Right now though, the conversation only worried the blonde. Gaara was saying 'Sasuke could be right.' He was saying 'I think Akatsuki _are _in the area.' He was saying 'I'll do everything I can to protect you.'

Naruto's stomach lurched and he broke the connection slowly, drank some of his tea, that had turned cold without him knowing. It swirled around in his stomach nauseatingly.

"I know it's not about preventing belief in what may be true but have you talked to Sasuke about therapy? Just for the anxiety."

_It's damaging and I'm worried for your family._

"If I mentioned the word he'd freak out. Therapy is for weaklings, or for idiots who can't control their own emotions, for little kids, for lesser beings, or some shit like that...that's what he thinks...insecure bastard." Naruto grumbled, suddenly less hungry. "He used to get therapy as a kid for similar things, I don't think he liked it...or rather he wanted to like it but he still saw it as a weakness, depending on something like that."

_I want him to get help. If Akatsuki could be around he has to be able to think to protect himself._

"You could both use help." Gaara told him and Naruto played with the cutlery, irritated.

"You gonna be another one to tell me not to shut others out and to let people help me and to stop taking things upon myself and shit like I've never heard it before or-OW!" He rubbed his head after Gaara hit him with a spoon.

"Of course not. You can't keep things from me, you never have. You don't shut me out, I wouldn't undermine you like that so please do not insult me by taking my advice like everybody else's."

Naruto's chest tightened with guilt as he noted Gaara's slightly irked expression and regretted what he'd said. "Gar...I didn't mean-"

"I am aware."

"...I think we work better without words."

A few minutes later when his friend tapped him on the hand he stood, waited wordlessly as the bill was paid and followed out into the brisk air where he had little time to think before he was pulled into an embrace and kissed firmly upon the lips, in the middle of the street.

It had been a while since Gaara had kissed him and while his body flooded with the warmth it brought him, deep down he was a little sad at the underlying cause of it. Gaara was as worried as him; he was scared of losing those he loved, he was feeling a little hopeless, he didn't want things to teeter ever so slightly off the edge of the cliff they were holding up together and collapse into chaos.

"Isn't it nice when you're so used to people staring that it doesn't bother you any more," Naruto whispered to his friend, their foreheads still pressed together in the middle of the street as people walked past looking questioningly.

"It somewhat bothers you."

"Not because they're looking-"

"But because the world is so unused to love and acceptance that they have some kind of self taught reason to need to stare." Gaara finished his sentence for him, smiling, holding Naruto's face in his hands with all the care of a mother holding her newborn child.

"I've missed kissing you." Naruto breathed quickly, softly, so softly it could be mistaken for any normal breath.

"I know." Gaara replied, equally soft, leant forward and kissed his friend again, allowed the blonde to deepen it, allowed his own head to be taken in broad hands. The feeling of control, of knowing how to help people, knowing where he was at with the world and being able to control the fate of his loved ones, had been taken. Naruto longed for that normality again, he was good with change, fabulous with it, but when his family's safety was being smashed to pieces...he needed to be in charge of something, anything, somewhere familiar, where he knew where he stood. Gaara was his familiar.

He wound his fingers in red hair firmly, unrelenting, deepened the kiss, felt tears fall from his own eyes and pale thumbs rub across his scarred cheeks to catch them. Those hands were always there, always firm, never changing, always giving. He choked a sob into Gaara's mouth unexpectedly and the redhead pushed the crying face gently into his shoulder, wrapped his arms around the man and kept them there firmly. Blocking out the world from Naruto's eyes, making sure all he could see was the dark fibres of his coat, all he could smell was the homey spices of his jacket and all he'd hear was the pulse running next to his ear.

Around them, the world went on staring.

.

* * *

Starbucks was bright, airy, loud...from the moment he'd walked in he knew she wouldn't be here. He knew she only had one break all week after she'd scolded him for commenting on it. Why did he care though? Why did he come here _hoping _she'd be sat in her usual chair, circling her newspaper?

He sat in his own usual chair, staring at the one she would be in next week, fed his child, held her. It was dark by the time he moved again, the baby was asleep.

_Why am I so fucking weak...?_

The Starbucks employees found an untouched latte on the familiar table _again_ that week.

.

* * *

When Sasuke was five, he had a habit of sleeping in his older brother's bed.

"Nii-san..." A pair of small pale legs trembled in the doorway to his brother's bedroom. Five year old heart, thudding, with the aftermath of his short journey from room to room. A very long journey for a five year old with an over-active imagination and a terrible relationship with anxiety. "Nii-san!" He whispered loudly again, into the dark surroundings of Itachi's room, voice cracking as his eyes welled up. His back felt exposed, still open to the hallway as he clung to the sliding doors, his father had taught him to respect other's spaces, to never enter without permission. He jumped a mile when thunder struck, illuminating the pitch black room and Itachi's silhouette.

"Sasuke."

It was all the boy needed to run, terrified, from his place at the door and all but throw himself into Itachi's bed, should the under-the-bed-monsters grab his ankles along the way. Should the hall shadows follow him as he tried to escape to safety.

It was ten minutes later that Sasuke stopped crying; his brother cradled him to his chest protectively. "Nii-san...I'm sorry." He apologised meekly, Itachi combing fingers through his damn hair.

"It's fine Sasuke." He spoke calmly, always calmly, a few moments silence and the volume of rain increased, pelting the windows and rattling external sliding doors. Sasuke took on the foetal position as close to his brother as possible. "One day though...you will have to be brave without me."

"I will Nii-san, I promise." Sasuke sniffed into his brother's nightclothes.

"One day...because..."

Sasuke thought it odd, how his brother was talking tonight, as if it were difficult to speak. Often, on these nights, Itachi would tell stories; he would talk or sometimes sing until Sasuke fell into sleep. Other nights he was silent, simply there. Tonight, something was wrong, it made him uneasy.

"Because? Nii-san?" Sasuke looked up, and jumped a little at his brother's expression, his eyes were as pained as he'd ever seen them, the large moon reflected in them, making them almost doll-like, scary.

At once Itachi smoothed his expression, made small hushing sounds and moved his thumbs across Sasuke's cheeks, which were once again being covered with tears. The five year old hiccupped and Itachi cradled him. The older boy began to sing quietly, like a small lonely bird lost in the night, and Sasuke fell asleep some time later.

* * *

.

This was predictable, all too predictable. The quaking belly of the outside sky, rumbling warnings. The dark moonlit labyrinth of the house, cold silver shards of light bouncing off the stairs to make clean cut shapes of shadow all around the room. It was maddening.

This time there was a child melded into his chest, this time he could hear his own heartbeat pounding in his hears in a truly insane manner. This time, _he, _was an enemy, not a cure.

_One day...because..._

_Because? Nii-san?_

The door creaked when he pushed it and the sound caused an uneasy feeling that ran from his fingertips, electrically, down to his feet, which then curled in on themselves in repulsion. His partner's silhouette lay restless in the bed.

Thunder struck.

Sasuke broke.

"Sasuke?"

Awoken by a hand on his wrist, Naruto found Sasuke lying next to him, baby sleeping in his arms, desperate look in his eyes. The blonde trod delicately, it was an uneasy fear, with uneasy memories. He took the quilt and covered them with it, touched Sasuke's face gently.

"Sound asleep." He whispered; smiling at the baby, who despite the loud lightning crashes, slept on. "Such a good girl," He stroked her head fondly, watching Sasuke's body unwind a little in the momentary lapse of lightning, momentary flutter of peace, tiredness overtaking him. "Sasuke...put her in the cot."

The raven remained still, showed no signs of releasing her.

"It's right here." Naruto reached over him to touch the basket, right beside the bed. "I'll roll on her if she stays here; it's dangerous to keep young babies in the bed with you."

Gently, gently, Sasuke sat, raised her to the basket and laid her down.

Gently, gently, Naruto pushed Sasuke down onto the bed, ran hands over rigid arms, lips over tensed jaw line, eyes never leaving the baby basket.

Thunder rumbled and spilled into a crash.

Gently, gently, Naruto began to sing.

Soft, non-rushed, a lullaby, right across Sasuke's skin. Right into his temples, fingers combed through unkempt hair. Right across eyelids, guiding them shut as he tempted his lovers head into a more natural position. He sang, with his heart, smooth and quiet, over pale lips. Felt them part. Sang into a trembling mouth, massaged every sensitive spot on Sasuke's scalp with his broad fingertips.

Gently, gently, a soft hiss escaped those lips and Naruto caught it, guided his own over the waiting mouth, providing distraction.

Often on these nights, nights filled with thunder, they would wake in the middle and fuck one another until it was over. More times than not, it was hard, rough, primal, enough to challenge the thunder cries. Sometimes, it was staggeringly, painfully gentle. They rumbled into orgasm as patiently as the purring thunder, felt waves shock through them with every flash of electric light.

Tonight was one of those in-between nights.

Given different circumstances, Naruto would have flipped Sasuke over right then, dug his fingers into all the erogenous zones that existed on Sasuke's cranium. He would have pulled those dark locks, pushed into him and rocked as deep and hard as the bed could take, tantalisingly slowly, scratched grooves into the space behind his ear and just above the hips.

Tonight he was far more cautious, the quaking inside the raven hadn't yet stopped and there was obvious evidence of a fierce inner battle warring beneath those waxy eyelids.

Naruto let his tongue run hot over the weathered skin beneath him. Sasuke lay, submissive, as he was on these nights. Naruto ran fingers firmly into his hairline and clenched his hands, pulling the pale skin taught as he writhed above him. An anguished whine left the raven's mouth and Naruto ate it up immediately, dug his nails into the scalp and sucked the bottom lip hard, left it swollen.

Sasuke was forgetting, relaxing, exhaling with cautious flutters of arousal. Completely raw, open, fucking gorgeous.

Naruto became hasty, ground into him harder, grunted into pale collarbones in frustration. It had been long, too long. An incoherent noise left moist lips as he bit the pale neck beneath him; arched his hips forward, hands grasping, muscles tender. He gripped the thighs beneath him, one in each hand, and _squeezed _right at the top, in the warm patch of sensitivity. Nail marks formed as Sasuke spluttered a gravelly moan from deep in the back of his throat. The blonde could feel Sasuke beneath him, itching to move, boxers damp. A rough tongue rushed over a nipple relentlessly and he thrust, slow and hard, hips to hips.

Thunder clapped loudly in the dark, and Naruto took Sasuke's wrists and pushed them into the mattress, biting the shell of his ear and receiving a broken gasp and bodily shudder.

Close. So close.

He could feel the pleasure coiling, voice rumbling in his heated chest, deep and low like the gathering thunder outside. He could feel the cock beneath him _pulsing._

Gently, gently, he whispered nonsense into the red-bitten ears he loved, drunk in pleasure, rolled his hips. Felt a sharp jolt tense in Sasuke's body.

Close. _So Close._

Thunder crashed, and Sasuke broke.

Entirely in a way Naruto didn't expect.

When he found himself suddenly alone on his side of the bed, Sasuke sat up looking frazzled and terrified, scrambling closer to the basket, he thought he'd been dreaming.

The almost-release still throbbing painfully in his body proved he hadn't been. Full of testosterone, of unspoken resentment, of helplessness, he couldn't help but feel anger well up inside him.

"What the fuck?" He glared, wincing at his own tone, at the flinch in the body across from him. "Sasuke, why?"

Silence. Rumble. Crash.

"I can't...we can't...I can't, I can't, I can't!" He bit out, clutching the basket. "The baby..."

"Sasuke-"

"No!"

The anger in the word shocked Naruto silent.

Rumble. Crash.

He watched as Sasuke picked up the little pieces of inner barrier from all around him, built up his shields again, layered himself in lies; spoke again not as Sasuke but as the person who invaded him when things got tough.

"Not in front of her. It's wrong." He said it carefully, calculated, reeking of fake belief.

"You've never been a good actor."

Silence. Rumble. Crash.

He wanted to pull Sasuke from the cot. Push him into the bed and bite, scratch, _fuck _some sense into him but he knew it wouldn't work. He was angry at himself for even thinking it. Angry at himself, at Sasuke, fuck even angry at the baby for 'causing' this. Angry again for thinking _that_.

"You're fucking _everything _up!" Naruto hissed, fists trembling. "_Everything! _You _need _me!"

"I _don't_ need you!" Sasuke bit in retaliation, twitching, crazed.

"You fucking idiot! Who the fuck got you _living _your fucking life again! Who fucking loved you even when you walked out on them! Who fucking NEVER walked out on you! Who _isn't_ right this minute!" He was stood, red anger boiling in his head and honestly he was scared by the fierceness of it. Only once before had Sasuke enraged him so; and last time Sasuke disappeared.

"This isn't about you!" Sasuke roared, stood, the baby woke, threatened to cry.

"It's NEVER about me is it?" The blonde stepped closer, ignored Sasuke's mad repetitions for him to stop talking. "She's the only thing fucking keeping you here isn't she! She'd the only thing that matters now! Do you even know my fucking name any more?"

The punch was expected but still, the sheer force of it meant he took a good hit to the face and met the floor with a thud. The baby wailed in her cot, before Sasuke could get to her, Naruto threw himself up, grabbed the man by the shirt and threw him into the wall. He grunted when a knee came to his stomach but pressed his weight to the raven and restrained him, thankful for the extra weight he carried.

"FUCK! Let me GO! Fuck...she's crying! Let me _go_!" Hands tried to grapple for the baby but Naruto had them pinned, head-butt the raven hard, ignored the dizzy pain and kept the face pinned there.

"Is this what you want?" He growled, voice trembling, tears burning the tender skin of his cheek. "To be my enemy? After all I've done for you?" He pushed Sasuke's face harder with his own, ignored the garbling about the baby. Fuck, this hurt him to do, to hear the madness in Sasuke's voice, the pleading that he kept hidden. He was saying hurtful things right now, things he'd regret, that he didn't mean to say. Fuck they hurt. "_This is what __**he**__ wants!_" Naruto sobbed, pushing Sasuke's wrists hard and gasping as he tried to lunge forward.

"_Please..." _Sasuke begged. "_Please!" _

"She's _my _baby too, do you know that?" Naruto whispered.

"STOP IT!" Sasuke screamed. "STOP TRYING TO TAKE HER FROM ME! STOP TRYING TO DISTRACT ME!"

Naruto punched with all the force he'd been hit with before. He threw the raven to the ground, grabbed him again, threw him out of the door and manhandled him to the spare bedroom. All the way ignoring the frenzied kicking and lunges, all the way feeling his chest restrict painfully.

"Fuck!" He sobbed, throwing Sasuke into the bedroom and remaining by the door as his lover fell to the ground, half dazed from the punch and madness. "I know you've been through a lot Sasuke but even for you, this is fucking selfish." He wipes his eyes furiously. "I don't trust you around _our _daughter at the minute. If you still want to live in this house and be part of this family you can fucking prove it to me!" He hated himself. He absolutely hated himself right now.

He slammed the door and locked it from the outside before Sasuke could get near him again. Ran back to their bedroom and pulled the baby into his arms. "Shhh, shhh, I know...I know...daddy's not well baby...I know...we're bad parents...god I know..." He slid to the floor with her, trying to ignore the screaming coming from down the hallway. "God Haku...Zabuza...god I'm sorry!" He choked, weeping into the fabric of the baby blanket.

He heard sobbing from the room down the hall and his chest shattered into a million pieces.

Rumble, crash, silence.

.

* * *

.

The house the next day was like the wreckage after a hurricane. Naruto still hadn't found those fragments of self he'd lost. He didn't think he'd find them for a while. His cheek and stomach and head stung, his hands quaked. He had drifted in and out of maddening nightmares and painful alerted wake.

Sometime around 3 a.m., the room at the end of the hall had gone silent.

Naruto wanted to give the baby to Sasuke, leave the house, drive a million miles away and walk off the edge of a fucking building.

All that talk of trust, of never leaving, and he'd subjected Sasuke to his deepest fear. He's left him in a locked cage, in the dark, fearing his brother and without anybody to save him.

Six a.m. came like an angel, with the sun just rising, washing the moonlit night away. Six a.m. and Naruto called Kakashi. It only took his voice and Naruto was sobbing, ridden with guilt. He tried to explain but all his could mange was the word help, and eventually Kakashi said he was on his way and hung up.

He was too scared to walk into that bedroom. He was too scared to face Sasuke right now.

Kakashi was stood in front of Naruto half an hour later, rocking the baby gently in his arms. Naruto was sat on the floor, hugging his knees to his chest; he'd been silent for a while now.

"I'm sorry." He whimpered eventually.

"Come with me." Kakashi replied, voice steady, though Naruto saw the grave expression in his eyes, the tension in his arms.

They stood facing the door Sasuke was behind and Kakashi unlocked it slowly, swallowed and sighed before he pushed it open.

Naruto's heart leapt down to his feet as he saw Sasuke, lying on the floor, curled in the foetal position, facing away. He wasn't moving. The blonde tried his hardest to remain composed but was struggling.

Kakashi whispered at Naruto to stay where he was, walked forwards slowly and knelt in front of Sasuke. His father's expression didn't give much away but Naruto knew it couldn't be good.

"Sasuke," He said gently. "It's your father."

Nobody moved; Sasuke remained still, if Kakashi wasn't so composed he'd have sworn the man was dead.

"Your daughter wants to see you." Kakashi's voice was so gentle like a mother speaking to her newborn baby. The man laid the baby down gently next to her still father; she babbled baby nonsense and Naruto saw Sasuke's shoulder twitch.

Kakashi watched his son reach out and touch the baby's hand. His expression was blank, his eyes...they were dead.

"Your dad wants to see you too." He pressed softly, laid his hand near to Sasuke but didn't push it further, didn't push the trust boundary. "I'm here."

After a patient few minutes, the eyes moved a little and focused on the hand, slowly reaching and taking it. Kakashi sighed with relief, wiping his eyes quickly and composing himself. "You're safe. You're in this room, I'm here, your baby is here, nobody else." He reassured, stroked Sasuke's hair softly, watched as some life came back to him, he rolled onto his back stiffly.

"Dad..." A tear rolled down his cheek and Kakashi caught it with his thumb.

"I know...I know, son." Kakashi exhaled.

Naruto simply stood, absolutely perplexed, completely wounded, Sasuke, his Sasuke, was _crying._

He felt like a criminal. The absolute worst.

Soft unspoken and low conversation went on, Naruto couldn't make it out.

Kakashi motioned for Naruto to come over and he came slowly, as if it were difficult. He knelt like Kakashi, who told him not to speak.

He could tell Sasuke was aware of him kneeling there but he didn't meet his eye. Silently he carried on crying, eyes full of hurt, just holding his daughters hand.

Naruto was shocked but absolutely relieved when Sasuke sat, head hung, reached out to him and pulled him as if his life depended on it. Kakashi picked up the baby as Sasuke clung to Naruto desperately and Naruto held with equal force, sobbing into his shoulder. There were so many things he needed to say but all he could manage was 'I love you' again and again in a desperate mantra.

"Don't...ever...do that to me again." Sasuke choked and Naruto sniffed loudly into his shoulder.

"Never again! Never ever again Sasuke I'm so sorry!"

"I deserved it...but just...not again...please."

"Never." He brought their foreheads together. "Never. I promise."

"You...are the only one...I need you...I won't let him take you..." Sasuke's breath fell short and Naruto clung to him woefully.

"I won't leave you. I was right here all night. I would not have let you leave I swear."

"I know."

"I'm sorry."

"Me too."

Kakashi stood, with the baby, touched a hand to Sasuke's shoulder. "She needs feeding. I will be downstairs, I'm going nowhere, follow me down when you're ready."

Sasuke nodded hesitantly and Naruto was surprised when he didn't turn to watch Kakashi leave with her. His gaze was focused once more to his lap, where he worried his hands together. His confession came so small it would have been impossible to hear under normal circumstances.

"I need help."

* * *

**Wow, this took a turn for the dark right? I sobbed while writing the last part ;A; A lot of questions will be hoepfully answered in the next chapter, as well as Naruto, Sasuke's and Kakashi's thoughts about the turn of events in this chapter. Also guys, I really need your help in terms of reviews. I don't care for numbers but I mean it when I say feedback matters. Even if it's only three words or something even if it's not proper feedback, even just letting me know you like the story is fine, don't be intimidated. A couple of words can mean the difference between me feeling compelled to write a next chapter or me sitting on Tumblr all day becuase I feel like nobody cares about this fic anyway.** **Feel free to ask questions, make acusations, whatever :)**

**Thank you to those who costantly review, I wouldn't have kept writing this without you guys3**


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